Guarachi Family Wines Sun Chase Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013
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The producer has chosen to highlight the Petaluma Gap region within the larger Sonoma Coast appellation on this wine, a nod to its recent purchase of the well-regarded Sun Chase Vineyard as well as an endorsement of the Gap becoming an appellation of its own one day. This Pinot might help matters, a beautifully floral mix of rose petal and violet on the nose followed intricately by juicy, subtle red fruit and buoyant acidity. Editors' Choice
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2018-
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When Alex Guarachi came to the United States in the 1970s, he noticed that Chilean wine was not available. He vowed to change this and was one of the first importers to introduce South American wine to the American public. Twenty-five years of serving as the founder and president of TGIC Importers–the leading American importer of South American wine –Alex Guarachi decided bring the passion and spirit of his own cultural experience to your dinner table. Today, the Guarachi Family introduces you to the finest from their hearts and their homeland in California.
After a quarter century of tasting, judging and assisting in the production of wines for other wineries, Alex finally realized a lifelong dream of producing his own wines with the inaugural bottling of three Guarachi Family Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These bold, rich and stylish bottles come from prominent vineyards and appellations in Sonoma and Napa counties. The wines were created with the help of one of Alex's close friends: internationally-renowned winemaker, Paul Hobbs. After many years marketing and assisting in the production of fine wine from all over the world, Alex Guarachi created a brand to carry his own family name and reflect only the highest quality Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in California. Guarachi Family Wines is sourced from micro-lots within California’s most premier appellations – Sonoma Coast and Napa Valley.
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.”
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.