Winemaker Notes
Boer is ordinarily Birichino's most crowd pleasing, their "easiest" single-site Pinot Noir. This is particularly true in warmer vintages such as 2017, when the grapes richen up during the day, while the cold mountain nights help retain acidity and verve. In a vintage such as 2022 however, the Chalone character comes through even more directly, and here for the first time, a more visceral throughline connecting the Boer appellationally to Antle, just 5000 feet distant, appears more strongly than varietal character. The savory, rocky, roasted quality that reminds many of the Alto Piemonte or even Mount Etna shines through to a degree not experienced in the 2016 or 2017. The 2022 Boer also presents a lovely thought experiment - for those inclined to such diversions - in how to keep one’s ego subservient to the task determining with an open heart and mind, "just what do these grapes want to do to achieve their highest expression?"
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the most compelling and complete wines in the Birichino stable is the 2023 Mourvèdre Enz Vineyard, offering a singular expression of the variety that is informed by the site above all else. It opens with a fantastic nose of dried spices, bramble and dried leather, all delivered with crystal clarity. On the palate, it is plush, sappy and weightlessly broad while retaining fantastic buoyancy, culminating in a long, taut and ethereal finish that drips with mineral intensity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cherry and cranberry aromas meet with earthy streaks of hot sandstone, petrol and tar on the nose of this bottling. The palate pops with a brisk red-plum flavor that picks up caramel and star anise spices to make for a comforting expression
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Jeb Dunnuck
Cranberry and pomegranate define the tart palate of the 2022 Pinot Noir Boer Vineyard, made in a light-bodied, refined style that is easy to enjoy at the table. Chalky tannins wrap around understated notes of dried herb and tea spice to great effect.
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.”
Located in the Gabilan Mountains east of the fertile Salinas Valley, Chalone is named for the nearby Chalone peaks and produces fine Chardonnay and Pinot noir, among others.