Garnet Monterey Pinot Noir 2012

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Garnet Monterey Pinot Noir 2012 Front Bottle Shot
Garnet Monterey Pinot Noir 2012 Front Bottle Shot Garnet Monterey Pinot Noir 2012 Front Label Garnet Monterey Pinot Noir 2012 Back Bottle Shot

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2012

Size
750ML

ABV
14.2%

Features
Screw Cap

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

This is a Pinot with power, but also with finesse. Aromas include ripe blackberries, cherry preserves, vanilla toffee and toasted French oak. I love the velvety richness of the attack. The flavors of dark red fruits and exotic spices just make this a juicy, delicious mouthful of wine.

Professional Ratings

  • 92
    Best Buy
  • 92
    A wild and racy red, the excellent '12 Garnet Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir exhibits tremendous purity and style; quite rich and well balanced; strawberry, sage brush and a bit of oak.
Garnet

Garnet

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Garnet, California
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Garnet has long set the standard for style and value in "New World" Pinot Noir. The debut 1983 vintage was an immediate hit with Pinot Noir drinkers (a fairly small group at the time) looking for a wine with the right combination of freshness and extract, grace and length. With a tip of the hat to the Côte De Beaune, Garnet is a distinctly California wine, with silky texture and pure, vibrant flavors.

Garnet Vineyards Alison Crowe is a UC Davis enology graduate who grew up on the Santa Barbara Coast. She spent her first harvest at Chalone Vineyard where she discovered and developed a passion for Pinot Noir. Following stints at Byington and Bonny Doon, Alison worked alongside Michel Rolland at Bodegas Salentein in Argentina. At Garnet Vineyards, Alison puts this significant experience to work with a minimalist winemaking philosophy. "Give your wine a gentle nudge only when necessary. Sometimes all you need to do is get out of the way."

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Let’s start with the obvious – Central Coast Pinot Noir is an incredibly broad category. This of course is because the Central Coast appellation is enormous, and it contains several stellar Pinot Noir regions within it, all of them kept cool by elevation or proximity to the ocean (or both). So we’ll break things down a bit with a brief look at each of these: Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey and the Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills. These are not the only Central Coast sources of good Pinot Noir, but they are the major ones. So let’s get started.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation, just west of Silicon Valley, producers craft excellent Pinot in spite of serious challenges. The land is mountainous, rugged and can be foggy, the topsoil is thin and poor and yields tend to be low. Yet Pinots from the likes of David Bruce, Martin Ray, Mount Eden and Thomas Fogarty exhibit undeniable quality, along with bright red fruit, minerality, earth and herbal hints.

Just south lies the large Monterey appellation. Monterey Pinot Noir is grown in coastal areas, taking optimal advantage of the cooling effect of the Pacific. The most highly regarded of these is the Santa Lucia Highlands. Situated on hilly benchlands south of the city of Monterey, this central coast region relies on a long growing season, night and morning fog and consistent afternoon winds to produce world class Pinot Noir. Attributes include intense, rich fruit, subtle earthy notes, spice and a silky texture. Look for producers like Siduri, Kosta Browne, Talbott and Lucienne.

The Santa Maria Valley in northern Santa Barbara County (a section of it falls into southern San Luis Obispo County) is also a haven for quality Pinot Noir. A mere 15 miles from the Pacific, the valley runs east-west, creating a natural tunnel through which ocean breezes and fog flow. This effect lengthens the growing season and promotes both ripeness and development of acidity, lending Santa Maria Valley Pinots their characteristic full flavor, balance and elegance. The famous Bien Nacido Vineyard is located here, and notable producers include Cambria, Foxen, Byron and Au Bon Climat.

Finally, we arrive at the Sta. Rita Hills, also in Santa Barbara County. Located in the western part of the Santa Ynez Valley, it too benefits from an east-west orientation that leads to the same conditions mentioned above. Once again the result is extended hang time for the grapes, which can be tasted in the vibrant, ripe red fruits evident in these Pinots, along with dense coloration and an impression of richness and intensity. Try wines from producers like Ken Brown, Ampelos, Fess Parker and Melville.

As you can see, California’s Central Coast offers a wealth of options for any lover of Pinot Noir. Cheers!

SWS243457_2012 Item# 128762

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