Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
One of the finest wines I’ve tasted from this estate is the 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard. This beauty comes from a mix of the Pisoni and Calera clones and was brought up in 60% new barrels. A huge perfume of black raspberries, kirsch, crushed flowers, and violets as well as the classic iron note that’s common from this site all flow to a medium-bodied Pinot Noir that’s perfectly balanced on the palate. It’s a rich, powerful wine, yet it just glides over the palate, with thrilling purity of fruit and a great finish. It’s a profound Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep aromas of candied black cherries, ginger snaps, star anise and iron-laced soils are rich and inviting on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. Boisterous, energetic flavors of red fruit meet with cinnamon, annatto and, on the finish, the buzz of Sichuan peppercorn. Drink 2020–2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard has a medium ruby color, and the nose gives up graphite-tinged cranberries, blackberries and red cherries with accents of underbrush, tree bark and dried citrus peel. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and earthy with bright citrus accents and great freshness, finishing very long.
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.