The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA does not get the respect it deserves, even though the region has been producing very good wines for decades. There are two main reasons for the quality of these wines: coastal influence, and volcanic soils. To be sure, there are a multitude of other factors involved, but these two anchors are what make the wines unique. Though lightly perfumed, the overriding fruit of this 2023 offering is all blackberry, black cherry, macerated raspberry, light vanilla and pomegranate. There is a slight earthiness to this, along with a very pleasant acidity and dustiness that moves this away from bright fruit-forward Pinot to something a little more mature. These qualities are indicative of Santa Cruz Pinot Noir’s and have a rusticity and pronounced minerality that their California counterparts, overall, do not. If the wines from this AVA are not on your table, now is the time to start trying some of them.
ORIGIN: Santa Cruz Mountains, California. ALCOHOL: 13.9%
