WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
Alluring Damson plum and cherry notes dance in the glass, supported by hints of lavender, cedar, and English Breakfast Tea. The plum and cherry flavors come through to the palate, joined by red licorice and mild vanilla. Silky and refined tannins fill out the elegant, yet rich palate framed by bright acidity. The long finish is marked by a freshness, leaving you wanting another sip. This wine will be beautiful for many years.
TASTING NOTES:
Whole-cluster fermented (15%) in open-top fermenters and aged for 8–10 months in 30% French oak, this wine is sourced from Gary's Vineyard, Sierra Mar, Rosella's, Soberanes, and a few additional sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands of the Central Coast. A fantastic, fragrant, and compelling wine, it bursts with pure red fruit, lifted by bright acidity, creating tension to balance the juicy, vivid fruit character. Gorgeous floral and scrub-brush aromatics and the unmistakable pure, ripe fruit expression of the Santa Lucia Highlands add further depth. The palate is expressive, with excellent density and a creamy texture, framed by lively acid tension and impressive length.
- Decanter, 94 pts.
A racy beam of acidity runs through raspberries, cranberries and red cherries. That mouthwatering fruit is wrapped up in anise, grilled sage and tilled earth. Balanced, rich and full of life. Drink or hold.
- James Suckling, 92 pts.
The 2023 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) is a good bit lighter and brighter than last year, unsurprising given the conditions of this long, cool growing season. Layers of rose petal, sweet black cherry, asphalt, crushed rocks and blood orange unfurl in a nicely focused, elegant wine with sweet tannins and a sexy finish.
- Vinous, 92 pts.
