Did you know the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA has some of the largest plantings of pinot in the state of California? And more is going in at a constant pace. It’s heaven for Burgundian varietals.
A whopping 2,800 acres of pinot noir and 2,100 acres of chardonnay are planted here, and right now, they all have something in common: They’re taking forever to ripen. At least we had some serious heat this week, and speaking with growers at the SLH trade tasting in Walnut Creek this past Tuesday, where it was hotter than blazes, it appears some vineyards, such as McIntyre, might actually begin picking next week, as sugars were getting up toward 24.
Two things were evident from this trade tasting, which was well-attended by a throng of drippy-sweaty buyers, who eagerly sampled the delicious, well-chilled (and if they were not, they should have been) offerings of primarily the 2009 vintage, poured by a great lineup of SLH wineries.
1). The 2009 vintage is consistently stellar, across the board, with bright, effusive fruit and good balance.
2). The 2010 examples show even brighter promise.
Oh, and 3.) It was too bloody hot to be tasting outside, with temps flirting with 100 degrees.
The most impressive lineups had to be those offered by McIntyre, Paraiso, Talbott and Wrath. Pretty much each wine they poured was memorable, impressive and, in some cases, so delicious it was hard to spit. Topping my chardonnay fave list were the 2009 McIntyre Estate chardonnay ($22), a juicy, flirty, frilly-bloused damsel; and the 2008 Wrath McIntyre chard ($45), an absolutely killer rendition of this superb fruit. For pure effortless drinking, there’s the 2009 Paraiso estate chardonnay ($20), a lovely, spirited, clean execution, made from Dijon clones 76 and 96, which bring citrus and stone fruit to the party, in contrast to the Wente clone, which tends toward tropical. The Paraiso 2007 “Eagles Perch” chard ($32) is filled with white, ripe peaches, and is lovely; and the 2009 Talbott Sleepy Hollow ($40) is positively giddy with exuberance, like Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. The entire Talbott lineup is like a squad of NFL cheerleaders, happy, expressive and filled with high octane energy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Hahn’s new 2010 Signature Series SLH chard, quite simply delightful and, at $12, a bona fide bargain with no compromise whatsoever. I’d put the Paraiso 2009 Estate pinot ($28) in that category as well. This wine beautifully represents four decades of pinot plantings, and reflects the care the Paraiso team has bestowed upon this vineyard. I’d also have to tip my glass to the 2009 Logan pinot ($25) for delivering a thrilling Maserati-like experience at a Kia Sephia price.
Memorable also for its summer-day infusion of ripe pears, stone fruits and vivid minerality is the 2009 Pelerin “Les Tournesols,” a roussanne-viognier blend ($27) that Chris Weidemann makes from the Paraiso vineyard. He had one acre of roussanne planted 10 years ago in decomposed granite, and it quite instantly whisks you off to a summer picnic in the south of France.
The two most distinctive pinots of the day for me were the 2009 Sequana from Sarmento vineyard and the 2009 Wrath Tondre Grapefields. In the case of the former, simply nothing else from the SLH appellation tastes so mystically herbal and fierce, with hints of basil and caraway. It always stands out.
Sabrine Rodems of Wrath showcased a rendering of 2009 Tondre fruit that is the best I’ve yet tasted from this vineyard: The 2009 Wrath Tondre reminds me of homemade root beer on steroids. It brought to mind a clove-roasted beet salad with a plum balsamic dressing: highly aromatic with hints of tilled earth at harvest time, with tangy, intense, unstoppable flavors that leave you somewhat stunned.
Joe Alarid (left), who was pouring the 08 Tondre ($40), a spicy, rather massive wooly mammoth of a pinot, says his winemaker Tony Craig only chooses the Pommard clone from this vineyard. Craig reports that the 2009, which he plans to release in February, is absolutely the best yet. If what Rodems did with the Wrath 09 Tondre is any indication, we can’t wait. And anybody who bought ‘09 Tondre fruit should be licking their lips.
Laura Ness writes for many wine publications, including AppellationAmerica.com, Vine Times and Vineyard & Winery Management. A longtime resident of the Santa Cruz Mountains, she enjoys writing about wines of character and the characters who make them.
Email: highperf@got.net.
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