Winemaker Notes
Leather, tobacco, and cola in a dense, masculine cloak of ripe dark berries makes one imagine sipping this in an old 19th-century library. This wine has a refined richness that stands out, and ages beautifully.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe and joyous dark cherry and berry pie aromas leap from the nose of this bottling, but it’s the earthy veil of loam, dust and chaparral spice that provides particular depth. The texture is firm and the energy is bright on the palate, where a refreshing acidity drives through black cherry compote, sumac and mace flavors.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard has a semi-opaque ruby hue (as do all of these 2021s from Roar) to go with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of redcurrant, black raspberry, and mulberry-like fruit as well as lots of classic Pinot Noir black tea, underbrush, and spicy aromatics. This beauty has the most opulence and exuberance of all the Pinot Noirs on the palate and has a great mid-palate, lots of fruit and texture, and a great finish.
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.