Winemaker Notes
We have chosen two Pinot clones: the celebrated "Pisoni clone" and Dijon clone 667, from this wonderful new vineyard.
The 2011 Soberanes is deeply color with an exuberant nose of brambles and wild berries. The palate is very intense and full-bodied, exhibiting flavors of black cherry, boysenberry and spice, and a long solid finish. The structure of this superb wine insures its ageability for many years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Burgundian effort with its forest floor, crushed berries, spice and dried flower profile, the 2011 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard is classy all around with juicy acidity, good mid-palate depth and a great finish. Elegance and seamlessness are the buzzwords here. Drink 2014-2021.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Soberanes Vineyard is the source to well-regarded wines from Bruliam, Siduri and Bernardus. Lucia's 2011 is a good followup to their 2010, showing fresh, jammy cherry and persimmon flavors, brightened with zippy acidity and finished with sweet oak. Will benefit from a few years in the cellar.
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.