Winemaker Notes
Deep, beautiful garnet. Rich with strawberry, pomegranate and raspberry. Fragrant huckleberry, boysenberry and baking blackberry pie. Nuances of cedar, pepper and crushed violets balancing the fruit with earthy aromas. Silky smooth mouth feel highlighting the dark berry fruits of cassis, ripe black cherry, and bramble. Supple, creamy, round mouth feel with succulent acidity, lingering on the palate leaving an enticingly long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a tremendous herbal array on the nose of this superb wine, as bay leaf and peppercorn lead into more rugged aromas of singed fur, game and mulberry jam. That animalistic character extends to the palate, where it meets with snappy black raspberry, roasted cocoa and cappuccino flavors, all leveled by piney herbs.
Editors' Choice
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.