Boen Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2017
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Tasting
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Wilfred
Wong
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A deep, dark ruby-red color with aromatics of wild herb notes and earthy tones intermingle with blueberry pie, plum, and a hint of toasty barrel spice. Dark currant, pie-filling, and ripe plum carries through the palate.
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Winemaker Joseph Wagner named this label after the Norwegian word for “farm.I chose it as a reminder to myself that the wine I make is indivisible from the land it comes from,” he says, “and that, first and foremost, I am a farmer.” Dark magenta in color, Böen is a deep and shadowy expression of the AVA it's grown in, which is defined by its cooling maritime influence as well as the arid climate along the Santa Lucia mountain ridge. Espresso and shaved dark chocolate mingle with black currant and plum jam as nicely balanced acidity melds with creaminess toward the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Böen Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is appealing and angular on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers an attractive mix of ripe fruit and sandalwood in its aromas and flavors. Pair it with a roast game hen in a savory, white wine reduction sauce. (Tasted: April 21, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2019-
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Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Böen highlights the unique attributes of California’s most sought after coastal winegrowing regions for Pinot Noir: the bright minerality of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, the rich opulence of the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County and the spice-driven elegance of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. This stretch of the California coastline is so geographically diverse that the various soil types, sub-climates, and elevations produce desirable and complex Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. To create our Böen Pinot Noir, we work closely with growers and vineyards in each region to blend a well-balanced wine. This wine shows its coastal California roots in its flavor, texture, and vibrant acidity.
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.