Jim and Mary Dierberg owned the Hermannhof Vineyards and Winery in Missouri since 1974. After traveling through Bordeaux and Napa, they chose to settle in the cool coastal region of Santa Barbara in 1996. Currently they own two estate vineyards: the Dierberg Estate Vineyard outside the town of Santa Maria and the 70-acre Drum Canyon Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. The winery and vineyard operations have evolved into a family affair with their their children and spouses taking the reigns.

This is deeply colored, voluptuous Pinot Noir has an abundance of ripe, warm spices and mixed black berries. Baked, fresh blueberries, mulberries and black raspberries are intermixed with a generous helping of brown spices. This is a seriously rich, complex, and mouth-filling Pinot Noir that carries through to a precise finish.

The 2018 Dierberg Estate Santa Rita Pinot Noir has a silky approach with orchard cherries and a hint of vanilla cream. It is supple, well balanced and slightly more delicate than the Drum Canyon bottling.

By W Peter Hoyne