Foley Estates Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018

94 Points, Wine Enthusiast

Since getting into the wine business in the 90’s, Bill’s wine affinity has led to him purchasing nearly 30 wineries combined between mainly California and the Pacific Northwest as well as France, New Zealand and Argentina. Still, if you ask him– it is his prized possession is his home estate vineyard and winery bearing his name. Not Clifford Bay, Chalk Hill nor Firestone– Foley Estates, and the home base of Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard.

The vineyard is no ordinary vineyard either. With money not an issue, Foley purchased a breathtaking 460-acre property (with 230 acres under vine) in the choice region of Sta. Rita Hills. There in Santa Barbara County with the morning fog, the ocean breeze, the ample afternoon sunlight and the sweeping hills is where some say the truest expression of Burgundian varietals outside of France are.

The perfect combination of climate and soil diversity found in Sta. Rita Hills is what sets it apart, but Bill’s vineyard furthers itself from its peers with something they call, “The Holy Grail”. Several steep, south facing hillside Pinot Noir plots with chalky limestone soil beneath the roots. Not only that, but the Pinot section of the vineyard is at the highest elevation (1000ft above sea level) — giving the grapes ample opportunity to ripen at their own pace with great acidity and balance packed into each tiny cluster.