Winemaker Notes
At Talbott Vineyards, we focus exclusively on crafting estate-grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands. Their celebrated Sleepy Hollow Vineyard is located in one of the coldest grape growing climates in California – ideal for these two varieties. Here, the brisk wind and fog rolling off Monterey Bay create a long growing season, producing fruit-forward wines with spectacular acidity. Building on a nearly 40-year legacy of meticulous craftsmanship, Talbott continues to produce highly acclaimed wines of distinction.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very complex aromas of ripe strawberries, sandalwood and walnuts follow through to a full body. Yet, it’s tight and very compact on the palate with plenty of fruit and linear tannins. Integrated and polished, showing beautiful length. Rather decadent and extremely enticing character to this bottle! Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pleasantly bold and rugged aromas of smashed mulberry, plum, dried meat, mace and pepper make for a compelling nose on this bottling from a iconic vineyard. Soft tannins frame plush baked plum flavors on the palate, where nutmeg and cinnamon add complexity.
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Decanter
Opulent style displaying scents of ripe berries, baking spice, roasted beets and apple skin with hints of cinnamon. Firm tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard has briary black fruits on the nose with notes of tobacco, earth, iron and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied, soft and bright with appealing spicy fruits and a long, sweet spice-laced 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.