Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A lighter hue in the glass, this clonal combo pops with tense cherry and pomegranate aromas on the nose, as white pepper, rose petal and smoked meat elements add depth. The palate pairs savory charcuterie and peppercorn spices with snappy raspberry fruit flavors.
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir 115/667 is deep into the floral end of the pool. The 20% whole clusters inclusion is perfectly judged. Broad, mouth-filling and juicy, it’s a lovely example of a more restrained style within the Wrath portfolio. All the hallmarks of these two clones are present—hibiscus tea, blood orange, lovely sparkling acids and a single-file parade of tannins down the centerline of the palate. Classy.
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.