PRODUCER: Domaine de la Côte
REGION: Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA
WINEMAKERS: Sashi Moorman
Over the past five decades, the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County have emerged as one of the world’s pre-eminent regions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Few producers better capture the windswept, marine-influenced character of this region than Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr’s Domaine de la Côte. This 16-hectare Domaine is located at the far western edge of the appellation, mere miles from the Pacific Ocean. On land once considered too cold for farming, Sashi and Raj produce wines that best reflect their philosophy: fresh, full of vitality, and exceedingly well-balanced.
WINERY HISTORY
Established in 2013, Domaine de la Côte has emerged as a beacon of exceptional New World Pinot Noir, quickly gaining a cult following and providing a compelling alternative to traditional Burgundian styles. A collaborative venture born from the passion and expertise of renowned sommelier Rajat Parr and acclaimed winemaker Sashi Moorman, the duo craft wines that resonate globally. Nestled in the Santa Rita Hills, they seized the opportunity to acquire and cultivate this exceptional 40-acre parcel when Evening Land divested their Santa Barbara vineyard holdings. Here, the dedication to producing single-vineyard Pinot Noirs that perfectly transmit their terroir is paramount. Their wines, some of the finest bottlings in the entirety of California, have rapidly ascended to cult status, and with an annual production of only 5000 cases retain distinct allure and desirability.
VITICULTURE/WINEMAKING STYLE
The beauty of this site comes from the heterogeneity of its terroir. Residing on a south-facing slope in the Sta. Rita Hills, the property reveals an array of unique geological traits, bolstered by a 25 million-year-old silex and diatomaceous seabed foundation. Each site vineyard has a unique geology, aspect, elevation, and microclimate. Such distinct expression of site and terroir in such close proximity is unheralded in California, invoking thoughts of Burgundy’s extreme regional variability. Located mere miles from the Pacific Ocean, this is a place where vines wage a daily battle against the elements, digging deep into the fractured bedrock to find the sustenance they need. The distinctive geography of the Sta. Rita Hills, running from west to east, draws in cool, nurturing winds from the Pacific Ocean, further refining the elegant and distinct character of the wines produced here.
The wines – coming from five distinct vineyard plots – each reveal striking singularity of site. Memorious (1.4ha) is found just above the Santa Ynez River, immediately downslope of Bloom’s Field. Facing straight at the Pacific, the dark clay soils produce DDLC’s most brooding bottlings. Bloom’s Field (3ha) spans a south-west facing hillside, grown on lighter clay topsoils and produces a sharper wine of striking clarity. La Côte (3.8ha) covering a steep, southeast facing hill, is the most heterogenous of the sites, soils ranging from shallow and rocky to rich and homogenous. Juliet (.4ha) is named for Sashi’s daughter, and its extremely steep hillsides produce astonishingly low yields (11hL/ha) of intensely concentrated fruit. Sous la Chene (.6ha) is the most sheltered site, sitting in the shade of a Giant Oak and benefiting from morning sunshine.
Embracing an organic farming approach and a minimalistic winemaking philosophy, the Domaine's wines are fermented with high levels of stem inclusion, infusing the wines with additional freshness and silky tannins. The unique combination of geology and marine-chilled climate of the area enhances the remarkable diversity of their Pinot Noirs, creating wines of profound complexity and nuance.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
IN THE PRESS
"These are wines that eschew the heavy-handed, overripe approach of so many Californian producers. They are beautifully elegant, always refreshing and effortlessly drinkable.” - Jancis Robinson MW
"Sashi Moorman is one of the most thoughtful growers in the Sta. Rita Hills. Over the years, Moorman and winemaking partner Rajat Parr have refined their approach here, starting with the estate vineyard, which is now separated into distinct sections." - Antonio Galloni
