Winemaker Notes
Deliciously floral, with raspberries and rose petals. There is a touch of bold elegance in its supple texture. Like Versailles - serious, but pretty.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From one of the cooler sites they work with, the 2018 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard shines for its vibrant, pure yet complex style. Giving up lots of mulberry and black cherry fruit as well ample sappy flower and spice notes, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a juicy, elegant texture, perfectly integrated acidity, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming decade as well.
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Wine Enthusiast
Snappy aromas of candied raspberry, lively hibiscus, subtle rose petal and star anise make for a very fresh and inviting nose on this bottling. The palate's baked raspberry and red-cherry flavors are cut by orange peel and licorice, making for a hedonistically complex sip.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard, aged 10 months in 63% new French oak, has a medium ruby-purple color and opens with blueberry and strawberry fruits with accents of lilac and lemon peel. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy with bright, floral-laced fruits and a long, perfumed finish.
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Wine Spectator
Refined, layered and expressive, with rich, loamy accents to the dried dark fruit and cooking spice flavors. Cedary hints show on the finish, revealing touches of cocoa and cream. Drink now through 2025.
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.