Longoria Pinot Noir Lovely Rita 2010

$32.99

Out of stock

This product is currently out of stock.


Product Description

Overview

Winery: Longoria

Longoria Pinot Noir Lovely Rita 2010 is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir

We are pleased to release another outstanding bottling of our popular Lovely Rita Pinot Noir. I believe the 2010 vintage in Santa Barbara County is on par with the stellar 2009 vintage. Both seasons had mild weather leading up to the harvest with some hot days in early September, which raised the sugar levels if the grapes were left on the vine too long. Our style calls for harvesting our grapes at moderate sugar levels, so the Pinot Noir grapes from Fe Ciega Vineyard for the Lovely Rita blend were harvested September 16th and 17th, at an average of 23.2 Brix.

Two thirds of the blend was fermented in our Ganimedes fermenter and the balance in an open top fermenter. The highly aromatic and soft wine produced in the Ganimedes tank combined with the more structured wine produced in the open top fermenter produced an elegant and complex Pinot Noir.

The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 11 months with about 20% of the barrels being new. The wine was fined and filtered before bottling on September 1st.

The color is a medium dark ruby with purple edges. The forward nose of the wine has aromas of spices, bark and raspberries with a subtle herbal element in the background. On the palate, the wine is medium weight with fleshy flavors of raspberries and cranberries. The oak component is well balanced with the fruit of the wine. The tannins are moderate and indicate the wine will benefit from several years of cellaring.

This wine will pair well with pepper encrusted sea bass, salmon, pork and finer cuts of beef.

Region: California
Winery: Longoria
Grape Type: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2010
Bottle Size: 750ml
Organic: NO

Established in 1982, Longoria Wines is a small family owned winery producing acclaimed artisanal wines from some of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Pioneer winemaker Rick Longoria has been involved in the local wine industry since 1976. His wines are distinctive for their purity of varietal and site expression, balance and compatibility with food.

Longoria Wines is an artisanal family winery established in 1982 by Rick and Diana Longoria. Rick’s decision to start his own wine label was born out of a desire to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two varietals he was not producing as the winemaker for J. Carey Cellars, his first job as a winemaker. Rick sensed that those two varietals were poised to become the signature varietals for the new Santa Barbara County wine region, and he wanted to become a part of this new movement.

By 1982 he felt confident in his skills and in the quality of some of the County’s best vineyards to venture into the wine business for himself, and with financial help from his father he produced 500 cases of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley vineyards.

Rick continued to produce very small quantities of Longoria wines after he became the winemaker for The Gainey Vineyard in 1985.

In 1997, Rick gave up steady employment to devote his full energies to his winery business. In May 1998, Rick and Diana opened the doors to their own tasting room in one of the oldest buildings in downtown Los Olivos. In December 1998, Rick moved his winery operation into a 5,400 sq. foot industrial building in what is now affectionately called the “Lompoc Wine Ghetto”. His was the first winery to be established in Lompoc.

Rick states "From the very beginning of my career I felt that the Santa Barbara wine region had the potential to produce world class wines and it's been very gratifying to see that belief realized over the last 30 years I've been here. It's also been very rewarding to have had the good fortune over the years to have some of my wines contribute to the acclaim of our wine region."

Over the years Rick has experimented with many different vineyard sources and grape varietals and has added more wines to his portfolio. Rick’s pursuit of excellence requires the production of his wines to remain small even after nearly 30 years in business. Longoria wines are handcrafted in very small quantities ranging from 50 to 700 cases. Total annual production currently averages 3,000 cases.

Customers Also Purchased