Gallo Signature Series Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013
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Parker
Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the Olson Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, the Signature Series 2013 Pinot Noir, made from Dijon clones 667, 777, 828, and clones 23 and 2A, has a dark ruby color as well as classic notes of forest floor, pomegranate, plum, Asian plum sauce, and black cherries. The wine was aged eight months in 100% French oak (one-third new) and has lofty glycerin levels, no doubt attributable to the 14.7% natural alcohol. There are 3,100 cases of this Pinot Noir, which is complex, evolved and already delicious and seductive.
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Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.