Winemaker Notes
Founded in 1998 by Richard and Mary Kay Alfaro, Alfaro Family Vineyards is dedicated to the production of Estate Bottled Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Albariño and Gruner Veltliner. “Alfaro Family Vineyard” is our largest vineyard at just over 16 acres and is planted exclusively to Pinot Noir. It consists of 9 different blocks; each block has a different combination of clones and rootstock, including clones 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 and 828. Vine density is 1361 vines per acre. The vineyard is on a south-facing hillside between 500 and 650 feet in elevation.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: As continue my search of wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I am becoming a big fan of this growing region's Pinot Noirs. The 2016 Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery Estate Pinot is one of the best to be found. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright and evocative. Its aromas and flavors of bright red fruits, chalk, and mineral make it a lovely pairing partner with lightly grilled wild salmon. Tasted: August 20, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Revealing expressive notes of sweet cherries, plums, strawberries, wood smoke, rich soil and raw cocoa, the 2016 Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard Estate is medium to full-bodied and velvety, with a more expansive attack than the Trout Gulch bottling and a lush core of fruit balanced by bright acids. It's a delicious and already complex Pinot Noir that should drink well for the next 6 or 7 years.
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.”
A rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.