2023 Domaine de la Cote 'Memorious' Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

Winemaker Notes:  Downslope from Bloom’s Field, just above Santa Ynez River Monterey shale, alluvial deposits. Whole cluster ferment in open concrete tanks.

As ever a welcoming and engaging wine from the moment the cork is drawn, gregarious Memorious throws off a homey, inviting scent of warm, ripe berries, tea, tobacco, and cedar. This Memorious is texturally more tightly wound than some of its predecessors, awash in youthful energy that will settle down over its first year or two in bottle. As it finds its form, though, you will experience a delicious and generous wine whose concentration and force are deceptively subtle

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

James Suckling - "Very structured, almost thick in tannins, with deep black cherries and violets on the nose, then white stones, iron, iodine and earthy accents on the palate. While substantial in texture and more medium than light in body, it's not at all heavy, and will no doubt age well for many years. Drink now or hold." (1.25)


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "Despite its dark and brooding reticence on the nose, the 2023 Pinot Noir Memorious is shaping up to be a beautiful combination of polished, weightless, herbal and saline. The texture is beautifully lacy and dexterous, with a long, layered, gently structured finish highlighting salinity and elegantly tenacious tannic grip. Tasted a few weeks before its August bottling"


Vinous - "The 2023 Pinot Noir Memorious is supremely elegant. Floral overtones, blood orange, lavender and white pepper flesh out in a delicate yet well-articulated wine of great nuance. Beneath the hood lies a wealth of powerful structure, likely a function of the clay in the soil here. The Memorious is beautiful today, but based on the track record of these wines, it will only get better with time." (8.25)


Wine Spectator - "This has a distinct density—showing intensity without heaviness—as its core of red and black cherry fruit bristles with grilled savory and flint notes. A very racy underpinning through the finish leaves echos of kirsch and wet slate. Very distinctive. Best from 2026 through 2036." (JM 2.25)