Domaine de la Côte Sous le Chêne Pinot Noir 2022 Magnum

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2022
Type: Red

This red is named for the large oak that shades this particular block, one of 6 vineyard sites Domaine de la Côte farms on a 25-million-year-old seabed of silex and diatomite on the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills, 7 miles from the Pacific. Sous le Chêne sits apart from the domaine's more famous La Côte bottling, cooler and more herbaceous by nature of its own ground. The fog off the coast shapes this wine as much as the vine does.

It displays a translucent garnet color, opening with aromas of fennel frond, green peppercorn, and bay leaf. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame balances plum and cranberry against a menthol and sage-oil edge that reads more coastal scrub than orchard. Firm tannins wrap the fruit rather than sitting apart from it. Acidity is bright and keeps the wine taut through the middle, the magnum giving it room to unwind slowly. It finishes savory and long, with eucalyptus and salt trailing after the fruit.