94 points Vinous Media
Drinking window: 2025 - 2035
Energetic and expressive, the 2023 Pinot Noir Pence Ranch Pommard Clone stays light on its feet while delivering uncompromising clarity. Blueberry fruit, chalky acids and pressed rose petal nuances flesh out with air, gaining delineation and persistence through the long finish. Plush yet lithe, this is a beautifully judged wine.

The 2025 vintage is the 40th anniversary of Whitcraft Winery, one of the original Santa Barbara wineries, founded by Chris Whitcraft in 1985. I tasted with his son, Drake Whitcraft, who has helmed the operation since 2007. The formula here rarely changes. “I’m not dogmatic about winemaking at all,” Whitcraft said. But in fact, he is one of the most dogmatic winemakers I’ve ever met. These wines are all about purity and honest representations of site. Everything here is done with 100% whole clusters and 100% free-run juice, though you’ll never meet a stemmy wine here. Whitcraft explained, “I pick on pH because mouthfeel is dictated by acidity.” Indeed, the wines are very textural, elegant and bright. Painstaking selection in the vineyard and the winery is standard practice. “Wine is art, and art isn’t scalable. You have to be willing to dump barrels and make sacrifices if something isn’t good enough,” he added. What struck me most in this tasting, aside from how great these wines are from top to bottom, is how humble and curious Whitcraft remains. He believes in his craft, and he believes in Santa Barbara—a proper artisan. These are some of the most honest wines I’ve tasted in a long time. Bravo. - Billy Norris August 2025