2010 Jaffurs La Encantada Vineyard Mistress Pinot Noir

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is owned by the husband and wife team of Craig Jaffurs and Lee Wardlaw Jaffurs. Craig worked in the aerospace industry before starting his own winery in the early 1990s. His first commercial vintage was a 1994 Santa Barbara County Syrah. He is the winemaker. Jaffurs Wine Cellars focuses on Rhone varietal wines made in small lots. The winery owns no vineyards but sources grapes from Santa Barbara County vineyards. The winery itself is in downtown, historic Santa Barbara. Jaffurs makes red and white wines that impress reviewers. Its Syrahs are consistently well rated. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Jaffurs has emerged as one of Santa Barbara’s finest, most consistent winemakers.”

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.