Winemaker Notes
This bottling of 100% organically-farmed Brunello clones of Sangiovese comes from the beloved Luna Matta Vineyard. This vineyard has been CCOF since 2010 is predominately dry-farmed, sitting at an elevation of 1750 feet above sea level on beds of clay loam over calcareous substrate. The grapes see cool fermentation and foot-stomping facilitates the gentle extraction of color and tannin from these small-berried Sangiovese clones. The wine then ages for 18 months in Gamba French-oak barrels, 25% of which were new.
Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Sangiovese has a deep core of red cherry and plum with accents of leather, savory herbs, mushroom and mossy bark. The full-bodied palate is bursting with juicy fruit. It has a finely chalky texture, shimmery acidity that highlights complex bitters and earth layers, and a long, ultra-spicy finish.
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Vinous
Darkly floral, the 2021 Sangiovese mixes crushed rocks with camphor and autumnal spice before giving way to dried black cherries. Surprisingly juicy and energetic, this sweeps across the palate with ripe red berry fruits underscored by tactile minerals and spice. Vibrant from start to finish, the 2021 doesn’t miss a beat, tapering off with crunchy tannins, yet not tannic. A tart wild berry concentration lingers on. This is the last vintage to be sourced from the Luna Matta vineyard.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe, extracted cherry aromas meet with nutmeg, caramel and chaparral on the nose of this bottling. There is great tension to the palate, framing the bright cherry, white pepper and leather flavors.
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.