Winemaker Notes
The color of this Burgundian inspired fine Pinot Noir is medium garnet and aged in 2 year old French Oak barrels for 18 months on its natural lees with no racking.The aromas of this wine are of ripe blackcherry with some leather and earth notes in the backdrop. The ripe cherry is sappy and rich on the palate and the wine finishes with an elegant silky texture best described as supple and combines well with the strawberry, raspberry coulis and a suggestion of spicy clove and cinnamon. Pinot Noir is roasted Duck Breastcooked medium rare and served with French lentils. It works well with a classicToulouse Style French Cassoulet with a whole duck leg confit cooked in its ownbowl with cannellini beans, pork shoulder and finished topped with bread crumbsprior to 2 hours in the oven. On the lighter side it’s nice with seared tuna, sushinigiri (especially Unagi) and pairs well with Impossible Burgers.
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.