Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very floral and beautiful with plum and citrus with hints of smoke. Medium to full body, creamy texture and beautiful length. Firm and silky. Dry and beautiful. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Tight and spicy, with a sassafras edge to the wild berry and raspberry flavors, offering a hint of anise and licorice. Lively acidity keeps this fresh and zesty.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is made in a more forward, pretty, ethereal style and offers lots of cherry, hints of framboise, sappy flowers, mint and forest floor aromatics. Lithe, elegant and lively on the palate, with bright acidity and an elegant style.
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.