Winemaker Notes
Pair with turkey, pork sausage, or spanakopita.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wow. Aromas of peaches and strawberries with hints of citrus. Medium body, well-integrated tannins and a vivid and fresh finish. Linear and focused. Delicious now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This time I noticed that some of the top bottlings came through as a little forced and ultimately didn't reach the harmony of some of the lesser wines, which showed more relaxed. Such was the case with the 2016 Lot 21 Pinot Noir, which displays brilliant aromatics, but the palate shows some awkward tannins and some tension. Perhaps it will calm down and relax with time in bottle, but my feeling is that these top cuvées were a little overworked to get more volume and body and that somehow the natural balance was disturbed. 6,000 bottles were filled in October 2017.
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Wine & Spirits
A selection from two vineyards in the chalky clay soils of Leyda, one of those vineyards faces south, the other to the warmer north. This is floral at first; then intense and refreshing red fruit flavors take charge, mixed with touches of herbs. The acidity is crunchy and mouthwatering, asking for duck confit.
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.