Reverse Wine Snob®

Wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good.

  • Home
  • About
    • What is a Reverse Wine Snob?
    • The Rating System
    • Ten Tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery
    • RWS In The News
  • Ask The Expert
  • Best of Lists!
    • Best of Lists by Category
    • Top 10 Red Wines Under $20
    • Top 10 White and Rosé Wines Under $20
  • Browse
    • Browse by Variety
    • Browse by Region
    • Costco® Picks
    • Trader Joe’s® Picks
  • Buy the Book
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Submit Samples
    • Email Us

Windrun Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir – Prime Pinot!

A near perfect Saturday Splurge.

Windrun Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir - Prime Pinot!

100% Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Central Coast of California. The wine was barrel aged for 20 months in 22% new French oak.

Sample submitted for review. The Windrun Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir has an SRP of $33 (Saturday Splurge) and is available for around $28. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. Just 359 cases produced.

From the bottle:

This wine represents our 12th limited-production bottling from selected vineyards of coastal California. Each year we select wines that best express the finest characteristics of each varietal. We then offer these wines to you at an outstanding value.

The 2015 Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills is among the finest vintages in recent memory and exhibits the beautiful complex character of its famous terroir, with dark garnet color, sumptuous mouthfeel, and traces of wild blackberry, earth, and allspice.

14.3% Alcohol

Santa Rita Hills (officially abbreviated as Sta. Rita Hills so as not to step on the toes of the large Chilean wine company) is a renowned cool climate wine region within the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Thanks to its unique geography which allows it to receive cooling influences from the Pacific on three sides, it makes a fabulous spot to grow Pinot Noir. The name “Windrun” even reflects this fact as it is a measure of the flow of cool breezes through a vineyard in the afternoon and evening.

These factors push the price of today’s wine above $20, as is the case with a lot of Pinot Noir. That said, we’re not opposed to spending more if the quality of the wine merits it. We like to call these selections Saturday Splurges (see our other picks in this category here) and today’s wine is a great example to splurge on.

The 2015 Windrun Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir begins with a classic Pinot aroma done very well — black cherry, cola, licorice and nice touches of baking spice and mint. Tasting the medium to full-bodied wine reveals a wonderful combination of deep, tart, sweet dark berry and cherry fruit plus excellent earthy and dried herbal notes to balance it out. Smooth and savory, this is a heck of a nice example of Pinot Noir. It ends long, dry and grippy with lots of lingering raspberry and cola notes.

Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.

2015 Windrun Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Saturday Splurge

You May Also Like

  • Tinga Reserve Pinot Noir - Delish
    Tinga Reserve Pinot Noir - Delish

    The Tinga Reserve Pinot Noir, a solid and tasty wine from a…

  • Spindrift Cellars Pinot Noir - Smooth Sailing
    Spindrift Cellars Pinot Noir - Smooth Sailing

    Willamette Valley Pinot Noir just under our $20 limit. Pinot Noir from…

  • 2010-Wente-Reliz-Creek-Pinot-Noir
    Wente Reliz Creek Pinot Noir

    This deal is now expired. Be sure to subscribe to our emails…

  • Simple Life Pinot Noir - Simply Good
    Simple Life Pinot Noir - Simply Good

    The Simple Life Pinot Noir, a fine pick for our Pinot Noir…

  • 2013-undone-pinot-noir
    Valckenberg Undone Pinot Noir - Stripped Down

    100% Pinot Noir from Rheinhessen, Germany. Fermented and aged in stainless steel.…

  • Calista The Coast Range Pinot Noir - Delightful!
    Calista The Coast Range Pinot Noir - Delightful!

    A great pick for your Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. 100% Pinot Noir…

Filed Under: California, Pinot Noir, Saturday Splurge, Thanksgiving

<< The Best Malbec Under $20
La Posta Pizzella Malbec – Dark, Inky and Delicious >>
Twitter 243,711Followers
Facebook 68,748Fans
Instagram 17,775Followers

Best Of Lists!

The Best Spanish Wine Under $20 - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Spanish Wines Under $20

The Best Washington Wine - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Washington Wines Under $20

The Best Rosé Wines - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Rosé Wines Under $20

The Best Red Blends Under $20!

The Best Red Blends Under $20

The Best Box Wine - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Box Wines

The Best Wines at Trader Joe's - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks

The Best Wines at Trader Joe’s

Read All Of Our Best Of Lists Here!

Featured Articles

What Is The Role Of Native Yeast Versus Cultured Yeast in Winemaking? Ask The Expert!

What Is The Role Of Native Yeast Versus Cultured Yeast In Winemaking? Ask The Expert!

The Best Riesling - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Riesling Under $20

The Best Italian Wine - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks!

The Best Italian Wines Under $20

The Ultimate Gift Guide For Wine Lovers

The Ultimate Gift Guide For Wine Lovers

Tenet #7 - Love Wine - Ten Tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery

Tenet #7 – Love Wine

The Best Malbec Under $20

The Best Malbec Under $20

Order The Book on Amazon!

.

Don’t Miss A Review – Subscribe!

Confirmation will be sent via email before your subscription can become active so be sure to click the link!

About Me

Maximizing your wine dollars since 2011! Independent wine consumer helping millions of people (1.4 million unique visitors in 2017 alone) find great grape without breaking the bank. If you're new to Reverse Wine Snob this article is a great place to start! Wanna chat about wine? Join our Facebook Group!

Reverse Wine Snob®: Wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good.

Copyright © 2011–2019 · Reverse Wine Snob, LLC. | Privacy, Editorial & Advertising Policy