Pinot Noir | Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Placed directly in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the region is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay and Woodside in the north, to Mount Madonna and Watsonville in the south. The sparse soils beneath the vines consist of only a couple of feet of topsoil, with ancient marine uplift soils supplying the base rock beneath the vines. Most of the vineyard blocks are located on south to southwest facing slopes planted to four clones of Pinot Noir.

The mountainous terrain, the Pacific Ocean, and the nearby San Francisco Bay have wide-ranging effects on vineyards set in the Santa Cruz Mountains, creating a plethora of micro-climates, ultimately defining the regions exquisite terroir. Vineyards in this region are not only influenced by the elevation of the land, but coastal fog, bright sunshine and vast soil types.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. The nose opens slowly in the glass to reveal aromas of dark red cherry, spice, violets, herbs and warm brioche. Mid weight flavors of cherry and raspberry are framed by prominent tannins that stick out on the finish, yet the tannins are in tune with generous fruit persistence.

The blocks ripen at different times - 115 on August 31st at 21.1 BRIX and 828 September 15th at 22.3 BRIX. This fruit tends to be the most balanced we work with – clean, great acidity – and perfect for our native whole cluster fermentations. Each clone is fermented and aged separately. Combined after 11 months in barrel. Highly aromatic with red fruit, earth, balanced acidity and tannic structure. Built to age, we expect this wine to drink well for 10-15+ years.