Winemaker Notes
The 2016 is cool as the other side of the pillow. A slightly broader vintage, with deep notes of cherry and earth and softer tannins. The limestone provides minerality and a racy crystalline texture that keeps the wine singing. Warning: 1 bottle may lead to another! Deep cherry, cranberry, mythical elven forest, and a long mineral limestone finish.
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.