Press
2022 Vintage
Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck – 93 points
“Salted citrus, honeysuckle, and white flower notes all shine in the 2022 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills, a medium-bodied, juicy focused, incredibly pure Chardonnay that has beautiful balance and length. It’s one heck of an appellation release and should shine for a solid 4-6 years. This comes from a mix of the estate Peake Ranch and John Sebastiano vineyards and was raised in 34% new barrels.“
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 90 points
“The 2022 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is a tasty appellation-level wine. Apricot, mint, white flowers, pineapple, and a kiss of French oak give this mid-weight Chardonnay tons of immediacy.”
Sierra Madre Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck – 93 points
“From the Santa Maria Valley, the 2022 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard reveals a light gold hue as well as a more focused, mineral-driven style in its citrus, tart pineapple, and honeyed, minty flower-like aromas and flavors. It’s balanced, medium-bodied, has bright acidity, and a clean, lengthy finish.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 94 points
“The 2022 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard offers an intriguing mix of textural intensity a structure. Apricot, tangerine oil, mint, white pepper and slate all race across the palate. I would give this a bit of time in bottle. The 2022 is quite promising.”
Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann – 93 Points
“White-fleshed fruit aromas of Asian pear, cherimoya and guava are cut by a tense jicama streak on the nose of this bottling. The firmly structured palate provides a natural balance to the tropical fruit and flower flavors.”
Wine Advocate, Matthew Luczy– 92+ Points
“Sourced predominantly from vines planted in sandy soils in the 1980s and a smaller portion in 2017, the 2022 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard displays more depth and power than the Chardonnay offerings from younger vines. The nose is yellow-fruited with citrus tinges and flinty accents, leading to a polished, pure palate and bright, balanced finish. This was my favorite of the Peake Ranch Chardonnay offerings, and it may improve in bottle, although I feel it too could use more verve and tension.”
John Sebastiano Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck – 95 points
“Last of the Chardonnays, the 2022 Chardonnay John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a great vineyard on the eastern side of the appellation and was brought up in 28% new French oak. Ripe melon, salted citrus, crushed stone, and white flowers all define the aromatics, and this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, focused, chiseled mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and a great finish.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 94 points
“The 2022 Chardonnay John Sebastiano Vineyard is a complex, dynamic wine with a lot of layers and energy to boot. All of the ruggedness of JSV comes through in a wild, powerful Chardonnay that engages all the senses. Citrus confit, crushed rocks, slate, menthol, sage and dried herbs build into the intense, palate-staining finish.”
Peake Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir
Jeb Dunnuck – 94+ Points
“The 2022 Pinot Noir Peake Ranch Vineyard is tighter and more focused, with juicy black cherry and redcurrant fruit as well as some sappy, floral, and forest floor-like notes. This medium-bodied, focused, beautifully balanced 2022 will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and keep nicely through 2034.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 92 points
“The 2022 Pinot Noir Peake Ranch Vineyard is a blend of Calera and Hyde clones, mostly picked before the Labor Day heat spike. It shows terrific fruit presence and the structure of a mostly cool year. Red berry fruit, mint, chalk and white pepper all grace this taut yet expressive Pinot.”
Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann– 94 Points
“Dark sage, pencil shavings and pepper dust aromas meet with black plum on the nose of this dense and brooding Pinot Noir. The palate is more delicate and nuanced, its chalky and tense frame offering rose petal and crisp boysenberry flavors.”
Wine Advocate, Matthew Luczy– 91 Points
“Fermented with 21% whole cluster and aged in 40% new oak, the 2022 Pinot Noir Peake Ranch Vineyard is bright, red-fruited and herbal on the nose, introducing a lively, brisk palate with impressive tension. The finish is a bit drying initially but fills in with aeration. As with the Chardonnay from this site, it will be interesting to follow future bottlings from this site as the vines mature.”
Peake Ranch Bellis Noir Red Blend
Jeb Dunnuck – 92 Points
“The 2022 Bellis Noir is based on 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache that was mostly destemmed and spent seven months in 18% new barrels. It has a piercing nose of crunchy red and black fruits, cracked peppercorns, and sappy herb/floral notes. This medium-bodied, focused, elegant Syrah is a straight-up pepper bomb and should benefit from a year in bottle and drink nicely through 2032.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 93 points
“The 2022 Red Blend Bellis Noir is a blend of Peake and John Sebastiano. Rich and boisterous, the Bellis Noir packs quite the punch – harvests in October and early November certainly helped with that. The blend is 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache, but today, the Grenache is especially present in the aromatics and fruit profile. I very much like the energy drive here.”
John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah
Jeb Dunnuck – 96+ Points
“Lastly, the 2022 Syrah John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a site on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills and was destemmed and raised in one-third new barrels for 17 months. Ripe red and blue fruits, cracked black pepper, sappy flowers, violets, and some Cornas-like gaminess all emerge from this beauty, and it’s fabulous on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, layered mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant Syrah to drink any time over the coming decade.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 94 Points
“The 2022 Syrah John Sebastiano Vineyard is one of the highlights of the vintage at Peake Ranch. The 2022 is explosive, deep and quite powerful, all signatures of John Sebastiano. The decision to work with fully destemmed fruit further accents those qualities. Deep blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and menthol build into the sumptuous finish”
Wine Advocate, Matthew Luczy – 93 Points
“The 2022 Syrah John Sebastiano Vineyard is pretty and purple-fruited on the nose, giving off darkly spiced and increasingly floral aromas with aeration. The medium-bodied palate is a beautiful combination of fleshy and lifted, offering a lovely savory undercurrent through the intense, subtly grainy finish. I found this to be one of the best-performing wines in the lineup, and given the site’s track record for Syrah, it should develop additional complexity in the cellar.”
Peake Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck – 95 points
“The 2022 Chardonnay Peake Ranch Vineyard offers a touch more complexity, offering ripe citrus and orchard fruits, spice, tropical flowers, and green almond notes in a medium-bodied, pure, focused, balanced package. It has the fruit and suppleness of the vintage yet brings good acidity and a focused, elegant mouthfeel. I love it today, yet it has the balance and vibrancy to evolve nicely for 5-7 years, if not longer.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 93 points
“The 2022 Chardonnay Peake Ranch Vineyard is a potent, phenolic wine. Hyde and Wente clones yielded a backward, structured Chardonnay that will need a bit of time to come around. Lemon confit, crushed rocks, sage, mint and slate fill out the layers. This is a super-distinctive Chardonnay.”
Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettmann – 93 Points
“Lively melon and pear flesh aromas are clean, expressive and balanced by a touch of chalk on the nose of this bottling. The palate adds a touch of honeysuckle and apple to the mix, which relies on that chalky tension to sail into the finish.”
Wine Advocate, Matthew Luczy – 91 Points
“From Hyde and Wente selections planted in 2014, the 2022 Chardonnay Peake Ranch Vineyard is reticent and subtle on the nose, showing hints of floral lift and citrus overtones. Vibrant and pure on the palate with a lovely texture, this finishes on a pleasing, fragrant note framed by subtle richness. This holds great promise, but the vines are still on the young side, and that difference is clear when compared to the more established Sierra Madre and John Sebastiano sites.”
Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
Jeb Dunnuck – 92 points
“The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is terrific, with mulled strawberry and framboise notes in a spicy, complex, floral package that’s medium-bodied and has a round, sweetly fruited, supple mouthfeel, and ripe, polished tannins. Aged 14 months in 25% new French oak, drink this incredibly satisfying Pinot Noir over the coming 5-7 years.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 90 points
“The 2022 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a lovely entry-level offering. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, dried cherry, and sweet floral overtones all grace this soft, understated Sta. Rita Hills Pinot. Vineyard sources are Peake and JSV.”
John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir
Jeb Dunnuck – 94+ Points
“Smoky, gamey red and black fruits, peppery herbs, violets, and leather are just some of the nuances in the 2022 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard, a more masculine, medium-bodied, complex, Burgundian styled Pinot Noir. As with the Peake Ranch release, it’s going to benefit from a year or so in bottle and drink nicely through 2034.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 91 points
“The 2022 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is an attractive mid-weight wine. The aromatics are quite expressive, but this is relatively light for a wine from this site. The fruit was picked on the early side, but that was probably a better alternative than risking a compromised harvest.”
Peake Ranch Vineyard Grenache
Jeb Dunnuck – 92 points
“Ripe strawberries, Bing cherries, spring flowers, and some leather and subtle licorice notes all emerge from the 2022 Grenache Peake Ranch Vineyard, a pretty, medium-bodied expression of Grenache that has a pure, focused mouthfeel and ripe, polished tannins. Fermented with 14% stems and aged 17 months in one-third new barrels, drink bottles over the coming decade.”
Vinous, Antonio Galloni – 88 points
“The 2022 Grenache Peake Ranch Vineyard comes across as light and edgy. It shows good energy and pretty aromatics, but there is a bit of austerity in the tannins—the result of a year with irregular ripening.”
Wine Enthusiast, – 94 points
“Lively aromas of black raspberry, crumpled rose, lavender and light herb make for a very complex nose on this very accessible bottling. The palate is fresh and lively with strawberry and herb flavors, as baking spice adds warmth to the finish.”
Wine Advocate, Matthew Luczy– 89 Points
“Aged 16 months in barrique, the 2022 Grenache Peake Ranch Vineyard is straightforward, red-fruited and slightly herbal on the nose, with a plush, juicy texture that leads to a grainy, hard-edged finish. The pleasant succulence underneath is lovely, but I don’t see the finish resolving.”