Walt Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 2016

the inky opaque colored 2014 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard is a sensational Pinot Noir. Giving up tons of black raspberry, cassis, toasty oak, crushed violets and campfire aromas and flavors, this youthful, even backwards effort has fabulous richness and depth, a layered texture and ripe tannin that emerges on the finish. This is a big, rich Pinot Noir that should benefit from short term cellaring and have a decade or more of longevity.

Black cherry, dried violets and vanilla cookies in berry syrup show on the fruity, floral nose of this bottling, but the minerally, turned-earthy quality is most intriguing. Ripe black plum, tart plum skins and bitter black-tea flavors fight for attention on the dynamic palate that shows both power and finesse. 

A bold, powerful wine, the 2014 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe delivers serious punch. Smoke, earthiness, licorice, underbrush, French oak, savory herbs and tobacco wrap around a core of intense red and blue stone fruits. This is an especially virile style from Walt, but it works well. Today, the tannins are pretty tightly wound but another few months in bottle should do the trick. Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall are probably best known to readers for the wines they make at their Hall Winery in Napa Valley. Over the last few years, the Halls have made significant investments in their Pinot program, most notably in signing a long-term lease for Clos Pepe, which is in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills. The Walt Pinots are made in a fruit-forward, open-knit style.