Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Pinot Noir is another sensational wine from this Grand Cru terroir in the Santa Lucia Highlands. From broken granite soils and aged in 65% new French oak, it’s an elegant, finesse-driven example of this cuvée which tends to lean more toward a pedal-to-the-metal style. Classic crème de cassis, sous bois, violets, and rock, earthy minerality flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, seamless Pinot Noir that, like the Chardonnay, is tight and reserved. Give it 2-3 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Estate has a medium ruby-purple color and broody nose of crushed black cherries and berries, roasted cranberries and blueberries with accents of cola, woodsmoke, underbrush, soil, dried flowers and citrus peel. Medium-bodied, it gives dense fruits in the mouth with earthy/spicy accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and wonderful juicy freshness. This is youthfully shy and coiled but has lots of latent energy.
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.