Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
From the family's largest plot, the 2022 Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard is 30% whole-cluster fermented with 20% new French wood for aging. Textured and nuanced in bright cherry, raspberry, and hints of cardamom and forest, the grapes consist of 10 different clones over 14 acres, including Mount Eden, Pommard, Swan, and Martini. Complex, rounded, and medium-bodied in mouthfeel.
-
Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard is soft, effusive and light on its feet, swirling through the mouth with a charming array of raspberry, sweet cherry, rose and orange zest, lifted by bright-but-measured acids. The texture here is spot-on, with a fine, gauze-like web of tannins that drapes gently across the tongue.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This well-priced slice of Corralitos begins with aromas of cranberry, orange rind, dried meats and dusty herbs on the nose. The palate is wrapped in a leathery grip, as sagebrush, cured pork and cranberry flavors align.
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.