Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Absolutely prodigious, the 2008 Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard, from the home estate, has notes of plum sauce, tea-smoked duck, black currant, and black cherry. An extraordinary perfume soars from the glass of this dense, plum/purple-colored wine. With compelling individuality, a layered, full-bodied palate, and a multi-dimensional personality, this is a deep, rich, silky-textured wine to drink now and over the next 5-6 years, possibly a lot longer.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and layered, with firm yet supple mineral, plum, cherry, blackberry and strawberry rhubarb flavors that are slow to unfold, gaining depth and dimension. Drink now through 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
Muscular and broad, a massive wine packed with fruity power, but lacking some finesse. Floods the palate with the essence of red cherries, with delicious, pastry tastes of baked tart, raspberry nut granola, honey and red licorice. Drink now for freshness and vivacity.
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.