Uncorked: Winemakers’ gems rooted in challenge in Sta. Rita Hills in California

In the Sta. Rita Hills, where the Pacific Ocean sends its fog charging inland through a rare transverse mountain range, two winemakers walk very different paths. Yet both speak the same language of obsession, intuition and unrelenting pursuit of beauty through the vine.

For Samra Morris, winemaker at Alma Rosa, the relationship is intimate, sometimes infuriating and always illuminating.

She returns every year to a plot that breaks her heart and builds it again: Caracol, a 2.5-acre block planted in a 360-degree spiral atop a knoll in the estate’s hills. No clone maps, no rootstock roadmap here. Just a randomized pinot noir jigsaw puzzle kissed by fog, wind and sun from every angle.

“The idea was to mix it all up, not knowing which clone was planted where,” Morris said. “It’s like field blending before the harvest even begins.”

Caracol is her muse and her tormentor. The site demands granular attention with individualized picking zones, relentless sampling and a patience-testing growing season. But what it gives back is the reward.

The 2021 Alma Rosa Caracol Pinot Noir ($90), aged 11 months in 40% new French oak, is a masterclass in texture: bright acidity, chalky tannins and a finish that lingers. There’s black cherry, pomegranate, mint, sagebrush and a whisper of loamy earth.

Nearby, her “other problem child,” El Jabali, isn’t much easier. But Morris, who has seven vintages under her belt in the Sta. Rita Hills, welcomes the challenge.

“Some blocks I just pick,” Morris said. “But Caracol and El Jabali demand all my attention. They give me a hard time, but I love them for it.”

At The Hilt, winemaker Matt Dees carries the same devotion to place, but with a rock ‘n’ roll rhythm. After hours of tasting and blending the 2024 wines from the barrel, Dees needed a palate reset. So, we opened our conversation talking about basketball for 10 straight minutes. It’s how his mind breathes. Wine is the melody, but the lyrics come from everywhere: sports, movies, politics and pop culture.

“Young wines aren’t supposed to be expressive if done correctly,” Dees said. “It was just a quick check-in. We wanted to check the pulse.”

The pulse of the 2022s is strong. The 2022 The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir ($50) is layered, as red fruit brightness gives way to earth, spice and a blood orange finish that haunts. The 2022 Chardonnay ($50) is a tequila-lime, sea-salted wonder, with Meyer lemon and stone fruit notes kissed by just a touch of oak.

Harvest that year nearly fell apart. Spring was cold and wet, summer got hot late and storms came fast. One truck hauling six bins from Radian Vineyard spun out on a muddy road and was trapped for five days.

“We started fermenting in the back of the truck,” Dees said. “The difference between that fruit and what made it in? Not much. The fruit knows what it wants to say.”

From Alma Rosa’s spiraling Caracol to The Hilt’s steep, stony Radian, Sta. Rita Hills remains a place of extremes: cold, windbeaten and heartbreakingly beautiful. It is not a place for passive winemaking. And that’s why it attracts artists like Morris and Dees.

Their wines are not just about terroir; they’re about personality, patience and, occasionally, panic. They’re shaped as much by chaos as they are by chemistry.

As the vines stretch toward their next vintage, so do Morris and Dees. Rooted in challenge, blooming with creativity and always moving toward something beautiful.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

TASTING NOTE

Moone-Tsai Corinne Cuvee Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2022 ($108): An absolute stunner. Grown at the edge of the appellation in Dave Phinney’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Vineyard, the wine had cherry and sandalwood with an exotic spice note loaded onto the nose. There was tart black cherry, cedar, an earthy note and hints of spring violets on the finish.

It’s a site so extreme that parts of it aren’t in the appellation. It sits right on the edge of where vines can grow, and the energy, excitement and nervous tension are all over the wine.

BENEFIT EVENT

Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction is planned Saturday, May 17, at Alma Rosa. The sixth annual fundraising walk, which will benefit both One Mind and the Mental Wellness Center of Santa Barbara, covers the ruggedly beautiful terrain of the estate’s vineyards, and over the years has raised more than $955,000.

“We do the walk – pour the wines for the attendees – and it really is a lot of fun,” winemaker Samra Morris said.

Visit almarosawinery.com/peace-of-mind to register or donate.