Winemaker Notes
This clone blend combines dark cherry, raspberries and the scent of earthiness on the nose. The palate offers a balance of structure and acidity that compliments elegant, focused red berry and cherry cola with a hint of forest floor. Nimble and pure, it terminates with a long and clean finish framed by juicy tannins.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Pinot Noir Swan/828 is slightly darker in style, with more forest floor, wood smoke, and earthy dark fruits all giving way to a medium-bodied, concentrated, nicely balanced Pinot Noir that shows the elegant, complex style of the vintage nicely. It's another classic Pinot Noir from this estate that's well worth seeking out.
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.