Winemaker Notes
Aromas of rich raspberry, clove, strawberry cream and candle wax lead to flavors of bright cherry, sandlewood, pomegranate and thyme. The finish is juicy and bright with stunning length. Try this wine with grilled salmon or Burgundian cheese such as Epoisses or Bleu de Bresse.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate is a very pretty, sensual wine. Crushed red cherry fruit, kirsch, mint, blood orange, spice and dried flowers all grace this silky, open-knit Pinot. The translucent, soft style is quite appealing.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2021 Pinot Noir Estate, a rounded, medium-bodied, complex effort that has assorted sweet cherry and raspberry fruit, some spicy, herbal nuances, ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. It's not the most complex or layered Pinot Noir out there, but it sure is fun to drink.
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.”
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.