OCEAN'S GHOST, Pinot Noir
Estate Grown, Santa Rita Hills

All of the soils on our ranch are the remnants of an ancient sea. From the deep sandy loams in our lower vineyards, to the shallow decomposed sandstone on Top Cream’s bench, evidence of the ocean’s touch is everywhere. At various points above our ranch, on steeper hills, in places where erosion has taken away the skin of the mountain, you can see the pitch-white outcroppings of pure diatomaceous earth. It is no coincidence that some of the world’s largest diatomaceous deposits are mined just outside of Lompoc. In digging around on our hillsides, I have not found too many arrowheads, but I have come across little gravelly deposits, the likes of which look like fractured seashells.

While a good part of the magic in the Ocean’s Ghost section of our ranch consists of the marriage between soil and climate, we match these existential gifts with a radicalism in our farming that is restrained by nothing. I have worked over the years with many vineyards, some of them good, some of them great. In almost every case, at some point along the way I will find myself thinking, “If only the grower would have done this or that, it would be just a little better.” And a lot of times it’s not that the grower isn’t amenable to it. It’s just that I am not there on a day to day basis to say, “Ok, now; now is when we should leaf pull, or, now is when we should cluster thin.” But with Ocean’s Ghost, it is not unusual for me to start my day there. If something needs tweaking, I drive by the shop and check in with my vineyard manager Rance Minyard. Of course I always find a number of things that need attention, but when it’s in the Ghost, Rance knows exactly where to put it on the list of priorities. In fact, half the time he beats me to it. While everything can’t be perfect all of the time, when you put the words Optimum Quod Possum* on your label, it’s good to have at least a few avenues where you can practice your best regardless of the cost. For me, Ocean’s Ghost is one of them.

2004 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir was sold out upon release in late 2005. Bryan made a little more for the 2005 Vintage and it took two weeks to sell out. James Laube just reviewed the 2006 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir for Wine Spectator online and rated it 92-94 points!
"Pure, delicious blackberry and boysenberry fruit drives this wine. Rich and plush, concentrated and expansive, with a long, persistent finish."
The only way to be sure to get a bottle is by joining either our "Terroir Exclusives" or "Terroir Exclusives PLUS" wine club. Click on "Our Wine Clubs" at left for more information.

Click Here for an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of Bryan Babcock's Vintage Note on 2004 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir.
Click Here for an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of Bryan Babcock's Vintage Note on 2005 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir.
Click Here for an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of Bryan Babcock's Vintage Note on 2006 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir.
Click Here for an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of Bryan Babcock's Vintage Note on 2007 Ocean's Ghost Pinot Noir.

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