Winemaker Notes
2016 was a fantastic vintage for Pinot Noir. A little rain inthe winter of 2015/2016 went a long way in helping the vineyards recover from the heavy drought conditions that have persisted since 2011. With a rich burgundy color like the skin of a plum the nose is fruity with black raspberry,baking spices, elderberry syrup, rhubarb, and red licorice.The palate is velvety and boasts an explosion of blackberries on the long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the Mission Ranch vineyard, the 2016 Pinot Noir Opening Act has a pale to medium ruby-garnet color and scents of Cran-Apple, spiced cranberry sauce, dust, pipe tobacco, woodsmoke and wild blackberries with a spicy undercurrent. Light to medium-bodied with a good core of spicy fruit, it has tangy acidity and gently chewy tannins, finishing spicy.
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.”
A geographic and climatic paradise for grape vines, Monterey is a part of the greater Central Coast AVA and contains within it five smaller sub-appellations, including Arroyo Seco, San Lucas, San Bernabe, Hames Valley and the famous Santa Lucia Highlands. The climate is relatively warm but tempered by cool, coastal winds, allowing the regions in Monterey County an exceptionally long growing season. Bud break often happens two weeks sooner and harvest tends to be two weeks later compared to other surrounding regions.
Monterey’s coastal side, where the cooling ocean fog allows grapes to develop a perfect sugar-acid balance, excels in the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Warmer, inland subzones are home to fleshy, concentrated and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
Chardonnay, covering about 40% of vineyard acreage, is the most widely planted grape in all of Monterey County.