Winemaker Notes
Nowhere is the evolution of Bonny Doon's grape growing and winemaking efforts more apparent than with Sangiovese. They had been working for many years with a vineyard in Monterey County which produced zaftig and extravagantly fruity wines. The new incarnation of this wine is derived principally from the Gimelli Vineyard in San Benito County. It is quite dark and mysterious, perhaps even brooding at this point. Bonny Doon seems to have channeled a more complex and elemental spectrum of flavors. Peel away one layer to find cherried pipe tobacco smoke, beneath another chocolate tones. From the periphery, liquored cassis and black cherry fruit are beginning to expand to the center. The tannins are quite prominent at the moment, and they are moving in the right direction toward resolution. And beneath it all, is a mineral crunch. This wine should evolve gracefully for at least 4 or 5 years.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.