Winemaker Notes
Brea's Sumida Sisters Pinot Noir offers notes of pomegranate, sandalwood, and strawberry on the nose. On the palate, cherry, rooibos tea, and tamarind. Made with 100% Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: As time goes on, Pinot Noirs from the Santa Lucia Highlands are getting better and better. Perhaps, it was a learning curve for vintners to understand what this growing region can produce. The 2016 Brea Wine Pinot Noir from the Sumida Sisters Vineyard shows how far this AVA has come. TASTING NOTES: This is textured with plenty of pleasing nuances. Its aromas and flavors of red, black fruit and dried leather should pair it well with braised beef or lamb dishes. (Tasted: September 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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.