Winemaker Notes
Private Property Pinot Noir is sourced from three sustainably farmed vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Harvested and sorted by hand. Destemmed and fermented in small, open-top stainless tanks with manual punch-downs and pump overs. Pressed in a Coquard basket press. Aged in neutral French oak barrels for eight months before filtration and bottling.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Smashed black raspberry and black plum are lifted by toasted wood on the nose of this bottling. The palate is clean and expressive, showing black-raspberry jam, tarragon and fennel-pollen 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.