Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As is consistent at this site, the 2018 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is aromatically slow to open but unstoppable once it starts. After coaxing, the nose combines captivating aromas of cured meat, brown sugar, spice box and truffle. The palate is svelte and generous, coating the palate with a core of polished fruit flavors, silky texture and mouthwatering acidity. The finish features precise, powerful tannins and a refined frame, concluding this beautifully complex wine and urging the taster to start again. While I found this surprisingly accessible at this stage, it will undoubtedly continue to pay dividends to those who avoid the temptation to pull corks. Rating : 96+
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Jeb Dunnuck
There are now three releases from this vineyard, a grafted vine, an ungrafted vine, and a hillside selection. The base 2018 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is about as textbook a rendition of this site as I could imagine. Its masculine, earthy, meaty bouquet includes lots of ripe red and black fruits, spice, exotic flowers, iodine, and incense. It shows more sweet fruit on the palate and is medium to full-bodied, has nicely integrated acidity, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows a supple, even charming style on the palate and has plenty of upfront appeal, yet it's still going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve for over a decade.
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.”
A rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.