Winemaker Notes
Wrath's 2018 Boekenoogen Vineyard Pinot Noir has complex layers of violets and macerated blackberries that, with time, open up to display a broad array of spices (cloves and nutmeg). A lively palate, capped by dark berries, black plum, and minerals, displays bright acidity and a lengthy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Wrath Boekenoogen Vineyard Pinot Noir is expansive, bold, and formidable on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine gushes forward with formidable aromas and flavors of black fruit, star anise, and a touch of oak. Pair it with garlic, rosemary-infused, roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: June 22, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Taut, with crushed stone accents to the dried currant and berry flavors. Hints of hot spice come in midpalate, with refined minerality on the finish, along with underbrush notes.
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.