2016 Chateau Boswell Radian Vineyard Absolutely Eloise Pinot Noir

Chateau Boswell on the Silverado Trail was established in 1979, which the vintage of the estate’s debut release. Susan and Thornton Boswell founded the winery with consulting from the legendary Andre Tschelistcheff. Today the estate is often under the radar of the general wine buying public, and it has only a few acres under vine. Much of the fruit used for production is sourced from premium vineyards in the region. Chateau Boswell makes extremely limited amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Luc Morlet was making the wine until he left in 2012. More recent vintages have been crafted by Russell Bevan. Reviewers are generally complimentary.

Santa Rita Hills AVA in northern Santa Barbara County was granted appellation status in 2001. Located between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton, it has a total area of 30,720 acres with 2,700 vineyard acres. The area is considered a cool climate for vineyards, so vineyards are most often planted with the cool-weather grapes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The hills in the western part of this appellation are directly exposed to the Pacific Ocean, meaning that maritime winds and fog make the western edge of the Santa Rita Hills AVA particularly cool. The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard planted in 1971 was the first vineyard in the district and is still considered one of the best.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.