Winemaker Notes
Aromas of rhubarb, vibrant citrus zest and elements of mature fruit. Expansive, with palate-coating layers of orange zest, black tea and a freshness on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Roasted cherry and tart cranberry aromas are dusted with caramel and vanilla bean on the nose of this excellent bottling, which balances ripeness with precision. There’s a fruit-punch kick to the tip of the sip, where dark strawberry, baking-spice, slate and earth flavors converge, wrapped in a texture that grows more firm toward the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a great vineyard located near the middle of the appellation, the 2017 Pinot Noir Garys Vineyard reveals more of a ruby/plum color to go with more forest floor, loamy earth, iron, baking spices, mulled blackberries, and darker currants. Textured and medium to full-bodied, it has a broad, expansive mouthfeel and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged 11 months in 47% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is medium ruby in the glass, with the nose offering desiccated roses, rhubarb and pomegranate with citrus peel, earth and licorice spice. Light to medium-bodied, it's über silky and gives up oodles of perfumed red berry fruit with a soft frame and fantastic freshness, finishing long and spiced.
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Wine Spectator
Crushed mineral and forest floor notes flank the suave, well-crafted red fruit and berry flavors. Silky tannins emerge on the plush and spicy finish, with creamy hints. Drink now through 2024.
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Wine & Spirits
Thick as compote, with roasted cherry flavors and dark fruit accents, this vineyard bottling seems a bit warmer than Kosta Browne’s Pisoni wine, also recommended here. Concentrated and flavorful, this has the extraction to pair with grilled tri-tip.
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.