Lucienne Doctor's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015
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Winemaker Notes
Blackberry, cherry, strawberry and vanilla greet the nose finishing with light oak and hints of sage. Lush, round viscosity welcomes the palate showcasing vibrant fruit and youthful acidity, leading to a full bodied finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Hearty black plum, mulberry and blackberry notes show on the nose of this bottling, alongside scents of gravel, turned earth, dried sage and toast. Violet and blackberry flavors unfold on the dark palate, but vibrant acidity and a solid structure expertly balance the richness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Lucienne Pinot Noir Doctor's Vineyard has a very earthy nose of mossy bark, damp soil and fungi over a core of black cherries and black raspberries, plus a hint of black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with gregarious black and red fruit preserves-inspired flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with perfumed hints.
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Wine Spectator
Well-centered on a rich, elegant core of dusty blackberry, baking spices, light cedar and licorice notes, ending smooth and supple while repeating the flavor themes. Drink now through 2020.
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2018-
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The inaugural release was the 2005 vintage which includes a Santa Lucia Highlands appellation and a Lone Oak single vineyard designation. The Lucienne Pinot Noir grapes were hand selected from very small and special blocks of the Doctor's and Lone Oak Vineyards. We wanted Lucienne to express a "sense of place" and we feel that these two wines are a perfect "marriage" of Pinot Noir styles with one more masculine and full-bodied and another more silky and elegant in nature.
Winemaker Paul Clifton crafts the Lucienne wines utilizing his passion for Pinot Noir and cool climate viticulture. The two wines—a Santa Lucia Highlands appellation and Lone Oak single vineyard designation—are produced in small quantities with the first vintage coming from 2005. The wines are focused and elegant with a silky mouthfeel and pure velvety Pinot Noir flavors.
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.