Timbre Winery Pinot Noir Guest Star Sta. Rita Hills 2023
California · Santa Barbara County · Pinot Noir · red
About this wine
95 POINTS, people! A sexy and sultry Cali-coastal Pinot Noir that Antonio Galloni calls “a standout” where “generous textures, delineated fruit, ample structure and mineral intrigue join together in excellent harmony”... and we’ve got it for OVER 74% OFF! Where’s my starving musicians at? The busker-class of passionate bohemian ideals – surviving from gig to gig, sipping a bottle of wine when the fates allow? Here…you…GO!!! And for the rest of you? Who simply LOVE killer wine at a world-beating price? I got you, too! Boy howdy, is TIMBRE ever BACK!!!! Only $20?! For 95 POINT pure pinosity from one of the most curmudgeonly critics out there? I’ll TAKE IT! The release price on this baddie was a full $78 – and good luck finding it ANYWHERE else, ‘cause after three sips and a few swirls in the glass, we bought EVERY…LAST…BOTTLE! Yee-haw! Just a slammin’ good ‘23 vintage Cali-coastal Pinot of the highest order – jam-packed with crazy floral and seductive aromas like lilacs, rose petal, and hibiscus, cascading into a waterfall of strawberries, and cranberry relish, with orange zest, tomato skins, pomegranate molasses, and these grounding mineral elements with flecks of iron and struck flint. A salty sea breeze carries this gorgeously to a long, elegant finish, with a lingering spiciness of cinnamon red hots to keep your lips tingling until your next greedy sip! All that (and more!) for such a RIDONKULOUS price?! LOAD UP! For those who DON’T know – Timbre means “the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its source or manner of production can be inferred.” But musicianship aside...WOWEE! This is pretty, floral, and delicately earthy like some Old-World Pommard, but with a depth of fruit, roundness, and lingering finishing spice that brings you to the heart of Sonoma! Perfectly balanced and ready to rock…but ONLY 18 TOTAL BARRELS made! Yikes! I got MY case…how ‘bout you?! TIMBRE remains woefully off the mainstream radar, which, in a completely selfish way, I absolutely love! The quality is up there with the best in California and beyond, just look at the consistent 92-96 point scores from all sorts of critics, and then dwell on the sort of pricing Last Bottle has today?! CRAZY!!! Winemaker Josh Klapper tasted a 1945 Chateau Latour ($7K? $10K a bottle?) back in 2005, and well, that was it. His epiphany moment struck him to the core, and he became a sommelier before moving into winemaking under the steady hand of the legendary Bob Lindquist of QUPE. Anyway, through serendipity and wicked negotiating...we scored THIS! I said 95 POINTS, right? And that whole 74+% off thing, too? I feel a SELL-OUT coming on… While it lasts!
Wine details
- Producer
- Timbre
- Vintage
- 2023
- Region
- California
- Appellation
- Santa Barbara County
- Varietal
- Pinot Noir
- Blend
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Color
- red
- Winemaker
- Joshua Klapper
- Alcohol
- 14.1
- Last Bottle price
- $20
- Retail price (estimate)
- $78
- CellarTracker score
- 90 (2 reviews)
- Critic score
- 95 — Vinous