Winemaker Notes
Pair with lasagna, pork roast, or eggplant tapenade.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very pretty aromas of strawberry, mahogany and flowers follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and a savory, fruit finish. Smoked meat and cedar undertones. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant and rich-tasting, with concentrated cherry and red currant flavors, loaded with sandalwood notes. Shows plenty of vibrant spiciness midpalate, with a well-structured and minerally finish.
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.”
An officially recognized sub-zone in the southern part of the San Antonio Valley, the Leyda Valley was the original settlement of the wine pioneers who came to the area in the 1990s. They were in search of cooler and wetter growing conditions—as compared to more eastern, drier and often warmer locations.
Planting, which began only in the late 1990s, focused on Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot noir and some limited spots for Syrah. The area continues to receive well-earned accolades for wines of these varieties.