Today we share the beautiful wines by Sea Smoke, founded all the way back in1999 by Bob Davids in Santa Barbara County, California. The winery is named after the cooling fog that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean. After great success and acquiring Rita’s Crown Vineyard, Sea Smoke was sold to Constellation in 2024. Over the years that wines have been consistently great and certainly helped put Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir on the map. They now farm 80 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plantings.
The new release comes from the warm 2022 vintage. I adored the 2022 Sea Smoke ‘Southing’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which is delicious and salty with bright red fruits. Learn more about these outstanding wines at seasmoke.com and here is my review of the new 2022 releases by Sea Smoke.
2022 Sea Smoke Chardonnay- Sourced from the Sea Smoke Vineyard, this 2022 Chardonnay delivers rich vanilla custard and pie crust flavors that meld well with roasted pineapple, mango and starfruit notes. Rich and layered, with a polished texture and nice sense of tension, with salty nuances, enjoy now and over the next six to eight years. Drink 2025-2032- 94
2022 Sea Smoke ‘Southing’ Pinot Noir- Coming from the Santa Rita Hills, the 2022 ‘Southing’ is named after the southern-facing hills at the Sea Smoke Vineyard. Right away this offers guava puree and salted orange on the palate, with stony soils and shades of red licorice. Delicious and delightful to savor now, enjoy this outstanding effort over the next ten plus yeas to come. Drink 2025-2037- 94