Say When Rasi Pinot Noir 2018
Product details
| Management number | 253563196 | Release Date | 2026/10/24 | List Price | CA$20.00 | Model Number | 253563196 | ||
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Say When's Rasi is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from a single site: Rancho La Viña, a 35-acre vineyard sitting on a gently sloped mesa at the far southwestern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, roughly 8.3 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted in 2005 with Pinot Noir clones 114 and 777, the vineyard's low-fertility sandy loam and clay soils and relentless marine exposure make it one of the coldest Pinot Noir sites in California. Grapes were hand-harvested on October 20, 2018.
In the winery, winemaker Rachel DeAscentiis used native fermentation with no commercial yeasts or nutrients, aged the wine for 10 months in neutral French oak, and bottled it unfined and unfiltered. No additions were made beyond minimal sulfur. The approach is hands-off throughout: what is in the bottle reflects the vineyard, the vintage, and little else.
On the nose, roasted dark cherry, cardamom, and star anise lead, with a thread of wild blackberry underneath. The palate is plush at first, then baking spice and firm tannins assert themselves, with blistered strawberry and earthy mineral notes carrying through the finish. Classic Sta. Rita Hills structure: high acidity, defined backbone, layered complexity.
The wine is produced by Say When, a small label run by Rachel and Michel DeAscentiis out of Lompoc, California. Rachel handles all winemaking; Michel oversees branding and operations. They source fruit from sustainably, organically, and biodynamically farmed vineyards across Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, and produce every wine themselves in a shared winery space.
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