Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Like with the Garys' release, the yields from Rosella's Vineyard were down upwards of 55%. The 2015 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard sports a deep ruby/purple color to go with loads of red and black fruits, crushed violets, spice and floral aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, elegant, yet with serious intensity, it shows the slightly fresher, more elegant style of the vineyard and will keep for a decade. (92-94)
-
Wine Spectator
Generous, with rich, juicy boysenberry and blackberry flavors that excite with exuberant vitality, offering depth and complexity, purity and length. An easy-to-enjoy style that is charming. Drink now through 2022. 225 cases made.
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.