Sean Minor California Series Pinot Noir 2020
Winemaker Notes
Meet Sean
Born in Kansas, Sean Minor was surrounded by agriculture, hard work, and the values responsible for the unwavering work ethic of Midwestern families. His career in wine began after a formal education in finance from Arizona State University where he also met his wife, Nicole. After moving to California, where Sean began his fine wine career working for Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyard, he knew that the wine industry was the right place for him. He furthered his education at U.C. Davis in Viticultural and Enology.
Our Winemaker
Will Bucklin continues to be our consulting winemaker, as he collaborates with Sean during the winemaking process of all of our wines. Will is a graduate of UC Davis’ prestigious enology program and started his career with an internship at the historic and world-renowned Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Following stints with Thomas Hardy in Australia and Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino, he worked with Sean at King Estate in Oregon. Together, Will and Sean work closely with the vineyards we contract, and their collaborative efforts create the consistent wines we sell today.
Sean was recruited by King Estate Winery in Oregon to manage the Estate, where he learned firsthand the importance of site-specific viticulture. After leaving King Estate, Sean led Benton Lane Winery, rounding out his cool-climate viticulture experience. Sean and his family then headed back to California for the opportunity to manage Renwood Winery and enhance his experience growing and marketing some of the Golden State’s best Zinfandel and Syrah. Four years later, he founded Sean Minor Wines.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.