Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the top examples I was able to taste from this terrific vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, the 2014 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is a big, rich, concentrated effort that gives up full-bodied notes of savory herbs, scrub brush, black currants and the classic savory, earthy and mineral characteristics that this site is known for. Fermented with 25% whole clusters, it has lots of texture, lots of tannin, and lots of length. It's a smokin' wine to drink anytime over the coming 10-12 years.
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Wine Spectator
Plump and supple up front, with plum and black cherry flavors. Gains firmness and backbone, featuring detailed, fine-grained tannins that shade the earth and anise notes.
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.