Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Vinified with 20% whole clusters and matured for 10 months in 40% new French oak, the 2019 Pinot Noir San Saba Vineyard has a pale garnet color and lush aromas of red cherries, bergamot, forest floor, aniseed and cured meats. The medium-bodied palate has a core of pleasantly broody fruit, loads of Angostura-like accents, fireworks of fresh acidity and a long, ultra-spicy finish.
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Wine Spectator
Fleshy, well-knit and lightly savory, with concentrated hot stone accents to the dried raspberry flavors, followed by underbrush notes and minerally hints on the firm, fresh finish.
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.