Winemaker Notes
Intense nose of fresh fruits like strawberry, red cherries and plenty of floral aroma. The palate is medium bodied with supple tannins, good natural acidity and fresh berry fruits towards the finish. It is well balanced, clean and expressive.
Try with grilled salmon, Gruyère cheese, or wild mushrooms with polenta.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Elegant nose displaying aromas of mulberry, dark fruit, plum skins and a pleasant smoky note. Nice ripeness on the palate with a lovely backbone of acidity.
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.”
An officially recognized sub-zone in the southern part of the San Antonio Valley, the Leyda Valley was the original settlement of the wine pioneers who came to the area in the 1990s. They were in search of cooler and wetter growing conditions—as compared to more eastern, drier and often warmer locations.
Planting, which began only in the late 1990s, focused on Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot noir and some limited spots for Syrah. The area continues to receive well-earned accolades for wines of these varieties.