Winemaker Notes
Aromas of cranberry, fresh raspberry, clay, Bing cherry, red beet, and nori. Weighty tannins up front, followed by bright acidity and tart red cherry and raspberry complement the juicy texture of the mid-palate.”
Vegan
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is a smoking value. Racy cherry, cranberry, and floral notes all emerge from this juicy, clean, and classy effort. With good acidity, loads of sweet fruit, and a clean, balanced style, it's a beautiful wine.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is pale to medium ruby-purple, opening with fresh cranberries, Bing cherries, warm blackberries, pulverized stone, floral and citrus peel hints. Light to medium-bodied, it has a good core of spiced fruits, grainy tannins to structure and juicy acidity, finishing 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.