Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another brilliant Pinot Noir from winemaker Jeff Pisoni is the 2013 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard. It has more structure, richness and power than the straight Santa Lucia Highlands and gives up lots of baking spices, dried earth, potpourri, and sweet red and black raspberry characteristics on the nose. Full-bodied, rich and textured, as well as elegant and layered, it's a sensational Pinot Noir that can be enjoyed anytime over the coming decade.
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Wine Spectator
Well-centered on a rich core of black licorice, dusty raspberry and dried herb flavors, this is complete, balanced, graceful and persistent on the finish, maintaining the core earthiness. Drink now through 2021.
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.