My husband and I are having dinner in Napa and he ordered a bottle of Sea Smoke pinot noir 2022. Is this a special wine? Pics for specifics.
by lifesonleepeart
25 Comments
o-yasuminasai
Sea Smoke is pretty good when it comes to Cali Pinot Noir.
Allways0nmilefeet
It’s not a bad wine, wouldnt say it’s special. But if you enjoy it, that’s all that matter.
No_Oil157
Great, maybe. That depends on how you feel about it. I do love southing, but its not my personal go to Pinot. But ive seen many a great occasion celebrated with this bottle.
ogretrograde
It’s a cult brand that makes their wine in a more stylized way. Not a bad wine at all, just maybe not as representative of what the rest of the region is doing. They did help put the region on the map though, being the first cult brand from SBC.
Otherwise-Monk1582
I just had their “Ten” (2022) and it was a vanilla bomb. I’m hoping for more from Southing, which I also bought.
BeautifulComplaint81
I think it’s a great bottle.of wine for sure!
CauliflowerDaffodil
I guess it depends on who’s doing the considering but I personally don’t believe Sea Smoke is great or special. It’s not a “bad” wine mind you, but it lacks elegance and is dialed up a bit too much for me. CA PN lovers will probably like it but I can’t imagine what would make it “special”, considering the other offerings in this vein that are available.
disco_cerberus
Huge cult following. They’ve increased production and sold to one of the largest wine companies in the world so the coolness factor has kind of faded, but held in high regard by a lot of somms and restaurants.
electro_report
Just. Buy. Merlot.
Friendo_Marx
It’s basically the Christmas Yankee Candle of high end Cali Pinot. Cult status, highly allocated, not that great. Try Littorai instead if you want an expensive cult pinot that kicks.
SoGoodAtAllTheThings
No. But it’s good wine.
MisterGoldenSun
Did it feel special to you? That’s what matters.
golfmate001
If u like it when u drink it then it’s a good bottle. Some of the “best” wines may not be suitable for you. Drink more and find the ones that you like and forget about what others think. Good for you and your pocket.
concrete_unknown
OK I bought 2021 Southing based on reputation and subsequently watched it get dunked on. Overextracted, merlot, etc. Is there any advantage to giving it a few years to settle?
nycjeffcpw2
Many folks will hate on sea smoke cuz it has a following on name alone from the movie “Sideways”, and restaurants mark it up obscenely. But it’s a high quality (though not premiere) Pinot producer.
carnguyen
Sea Smoke is not as interesting as other producers in SRH. Try DDLC, Racines, Sanford & Benedict, Tyler, Paul Lato, Lady of Guadalupe, Au Bon Climat and Whitcraft instead.
Spuckula
Don’t listen to the haters. This is a great bottle of wine.
When Constellation bought them out a couple of years ago, I stopped buying it. Personal bias.
But I have loved Southing for years.
BillyM9876
IIRC the history goes like this:
Started a small winery, gained a following. Some critic gave it a good write up and since it was kind of limited in production, lots of people wanted it. The style is big and overdone imo, perhaps I would even say, a tad uncharacteristic for the area it’s from. Lots of people like this style. I don’t really care for it. Wine Spectator finally got it right and gave them an 86 rating back in 2007 vintage.
I get the sense that they’ve dialed it back a little over the years and it’s more palettable juice now imo. A few years ago, they cashed out to Big Daddy Constellation. I kind of like the beverage more now that its more widely available and corporate owned, than back when it was this in-your-face bitch slap wine.
Existing_Guess_8236
Great wine from an awesome producer ! Probably too young tho
loonbugz
I use to think Sea Smoke was the bomb and then I learned about Red Burgundy. The best Sea Smoke cuvée can be bested by some village level burgs. It’s bested by plenty of Oregon Pinot as well as other SR Hills and Cali producers. It’s fine. All good. But at the price point, there are better options. Give me a bottle of Southing as a gift, I say thank you very much and swill it with pleasure all the while telling myself it’s no Savigny Les Beaune, Pommard, Gevrey Chambertain, or Volnay.
Brave_Salamander1662
What’s considered “great” wine is very subjective.
One might be able to objectively assess its quality, but everyone also has subjective taste preferences.
If it’s great quality, but not your taste preference – it may not be a great bottle for you. If it’s bad quality, but meets your taste preference, it’ll likely be a great bottle for you.
While I haven’t tried this specific wine, specificity of region to a specific vineyard can often be a good indicator of quality. If you like the style of young fruit forward bold Cali PNs, then you might find it great.
rararajman
Very accessible (supply and palate) and good. Haters will hate
deeznutzz3469
From a winer perspective I really enjoyed it, not sure if it’s great. However, it’s the most beautiful vineyard I have ever been to. Absolutely gorgeous views.
MaceWinnoob
My impression is that this wine is for Caymus, Belle Glos, and Meiomi drinkers.
flyingron
Sea Smoke used to be great a couple of winemakers ago, but still isn’t bad. They make three PNs: Botella, Southing, and Ten. Actually, the Botella was a great value. The sad thing was when I was in their club and buying cases of this stuff at a time, they’d never allocate as much Botella as I’d want.
Small Trivia: If you watch the movie Sideways, when it comes to the scene where the four are having dinner (and not drinking the fucking Merlot), they’re pouring Sea Smoke at one point. At 1:11 in this clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLM-nhMb5dk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLM-nhMb5dk)
25 Comments
Sea Smoke is pretty good when it comes to Cali Pinot Noir.
It’s not a bad wine, wouldnt say it’s special. But if you enjoy it, that’s all that matter.
Great, maybe. That depends on how you feel about it. I do love southing, but its not my personal go to Pinot. But ive seen many a great occasion celebrated with this bottle.
It’s a cult brand that makes their wine in a more stylized way. Not a bad wine at all, just maybe not as representative of what the rest of the region is doing. They did help put the region on the map though, being the first cult brand from SBC.
I just had their “Ten” (2022) and it was a vanilla bomb. I’m hoping for more from Southing, which I also bought.
I think it’s a great bottle.of wine for sure!
I guess it depends on who’s doing the considering but I personally don’t believe Sea Smoke is great or special. It’s not a “bad” wine mind you, but it lacks elegance and is dialed up a bit too much for me. CA PN lovers will probably like it but I can’t imagine what would make it “special”, considering the other offerings in this vein that are available.
Huge cult following. They’ve increased production and sold to one of the largest wine companies in the world so the coolness factor has kind of faded, but held in high regard by a lot of somms and restaurants.
Just. Buy. Merlot.
It’s basically the Christmas Yankee Candle of high end Cali Pinot. Cult status, highly allocated, not that great. Try Littorai instead if you want an expensive cult pinot that kicks.
No. But it’s good wine.
Did it feel special to you? That’s what matters.
If u like it when u drink it then it’s a good bottle. Some of the “best” wines may not be suitable for you. Drink more and find the ones that you like and forget about what others think. Good for you and your pocket.
OK I bought 2021 Southing based on reputation and subsequently watched it get dunked on. Overextracted, merlot, etc. Is there any advantage to giving it a few years to settle?
Many folks will hate on sea smoke cuz it has a following on name alone from the movie “Sideways”, and restaurants mark it up obscenely. But it’s a high quality (though not premiere) Pinot producer.
Sea Smoke is not as interesting as other producers in SRH. Try DDLC, Racines, Sanford & Benedict, Tyler, Paul Lato, Lady of Guadalupe, Au Bon Climat and Whitcraft instead.
Don’t listen to the haters. This is a great bottle of wine.
When Constellation bought them out a couple of years ago, I stopped buying it. Personal bias.
But I have loved Southing for years.
IIRC the history goes like this:
Started a small winery, gained a following. Some critic gave it a good write up and since it was kind of limited in production, lots of people wanted it. The style is big and overdone imo, perhaps I would even say, a tad uncharacteristic for the area it’s from. Lots of people like this style. I don’t really care for it. Wine Spectator finally got it right and gave them an 86 rating back in 2007 vintage.
I get the sense that they’ve dialed it back a little over the years and it’s more palettable juice now imo. A few years ago, they cashed out to Big Daddy Constellation. I kind of like the beverage more now that its more widely available and corporate owned, than back when it was this in-your-face bitch slap wine.
Great wine from an awesome producer ! Probably too young tho
I use to think Sea Smoke was the bomb and then I learned about Red Burgundy. The best Sea Smoke cuvée can be bested by some village level burgs. It’s bested by plenty of Oregon Pinot as well as other SR Hills and Cali producers. It’s fine. All good. But at the price point, there are better options. Give me a bottle of Southing as a gift, I say thank you very much and swill it with pleasure all the while telling myself it’s no Savigny Les Beaune, Pommard, Gevrey Chambertain, or Volnay.
What’s considered “great” wine is very subjective.
One might be able to objectively assess its quality, but everyone also has subjective taste preferences.
If it’s great quality, but not your taste preference – it may not be a great bottle for you. If it’s bad quality, but meets your taste preference, it’ll likely be a great bottle for you.
While I haven’t tried this specific wine, specificity of region to a specific vineyard can often be a good indicator of quality. If you like the style of young fruit forward bold Cali PNs, then you might find it great.
Very accessible (supply and palate) and good. Haters will hate
From a winer perspective I really enjoyed it, not sure if it’s great. However, it’s the most beautiful vineyard I have ever been to. Absolutely gorgeous views.
My impression is that this wine is for Caymus, Belle Glos, and Meiomi drinkers.
Sea Smoke used to be great a couple of winemakers ago, but still isn’t bad. They make three PNs: Botella, Southing, and Ten. Actually, the Botella was a great value. The sad thing was when I was in their club and buying cases of this stuff at a time, they’d never allocate as much Botella as I’d want.
Small Trivia: If you watch the movie Sideways, when it comes to the scene where the four are having dinner (and not drinking the fucking Merlot), they’re pouring Sea Smoke at one point. At 1:11 in this clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLM-nhMb5dk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLM-nhMb5dk)