Winemaker Notes
Tart red cherries and raspberries are revealed on the nose, alongside spicy and herbaceous notes. This Pinot Noir stands out for its vibrant, almost crunchy acidity and long finish.
Pair with lobster ravioli, grilled trout, and Comté cheese.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Coastal Vineyard Las Brisas Pinot Noir is clean, precise and varietal, balanced, fresh and with moderate ripeness and good acidity. It has a light palate with very fine, chalky tannins.
-
James Suckling
A herbal accent to the ripe goji berries, red dates and cranberries, with a hint of caramel. Juicy and nicely dry on the palate with some crunchy berries. 10% stems. Granitic soils.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This coastal wine has an aromatic nose, displaying hints of salt mixed with spices and thyme. An herbaceous and spicy profile makes a flavorful palate. It has medium acidity and chalky tannins. Notes of cherry and tobacco are bright in the aftertaste.
Best Buy
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.