Winemaker Notes
This wine is balanced and complete from start to finish - with layered notes of red and black cherry, red cranberry and damson plum. A rounded mouth with clove and cinnamon characters continues to firm yet yielding tannins at the finish. Complex savory herbs: sage and thyme play with the delicate balance of red fruit throughout this joyful bottle of Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of red cherries, wild strawberries, dried roses, spices and crushed stones. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, bright acidity and a rounded mouthfeel. Balanced, with an earthy undertone.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate is markedly more earthy and earth-driven than the introductory Valliant bottling, adding in a citrus-tinged lift after time in the glass. The palate is soft, rich and silky before moving into a straightforward, balanced finish framed by powdery tannins.
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.”
Part of the larger Central Coast AVA, the valley was historically an important source of grapes for Almaden Vineyards before it was acquired by Constellation Brands in the 1980s. At 1,100 feet, the San Andreas Fault divides the valley so that one side is granite and sandstone, and the other is granite and limestone. Its position along the San Andreas fault makes the region well suited for excellent Central Coast wine production. Top varietals include Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and rose.