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The Cedar Lane Vineyard
The Cedar Lane Vineyard is located on a very rocky piece of land that is an old river bench. Wind rushes through this opening to the Valley washing out the fog early in the day, but keeping the vineyard cool in the midst of sometimes intense sun.
The Wine
This Sauvignon Blanc – all Musque clone -- was harvested by hand on September 12 & 18, 2007 and was the first fruit to come into our winery. We received a total of 10 tons between two days of harvesting. The grapes were carefully pressed in small batches and then 50% of the juice was fermented in a stainless steel tank, and the remainder was fermented in old French oak barrels. As a result of this handling, it is characterized by floral, tropical and grapefruit aromas and has a rich mouthfeel while maintaining a crisp, food-friendly acidity.
$17.50 / bottle
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The grapes included in this blend were harvested from three distinct sites: two vineyards on opposite sides of the Salinas Valley in Monterey (Chula Vina and Tondre Grapefield), and also from our own estate vineyard in Carmel Valley, Hilltop Ranch. Chula Vina tends to express very broad dark fruit and nice tannin and mouthfeel. Tondre is a classic pinot: aromatic, delicate, complex yet full-bodied. Hilltop Pinot is bold, dark, expressive.
Everything about this wine was handmade in our minimalist approach. After an initial sorting, we fermented the grapes in small, open-top bins that were punched down two to three times daily to extract color, flavor and complexity. The wine was pressed off into oak barrels of which 28% were new. There it rested for 10 months before bottling.
The resulting wine is purely Pinot Noir in character, the wine shows off black cherry and plum aromas that return in the flavor. Notes of toasted cedar and spice are well integrated into the wine. The balance and complexity of this new wine is achieved in large part from its velvety tannins and apparent structure that we believe is a critical component of fine Monterey Pinot Noir.
$26 / bottle
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The Vineyard
The Chula Vina Vineyard is located on a protected bench in the eastern hills overlooking the Salinas Valley. While the cooling fog keeps Chula Vina fruit from ripening too quickly, its protected location assures the strong ocean-influenced winds do not stunt the vines' progress. In combination with the warm afternoon sun, these factors provide a setting for the cultivation of stunning fruit. Grapes ripen slightly quicker on this side of the valley attaining a robust, complex character.
The Winemaking
Everything about this wine was handmade in our minimalist approach. After an initial sorting, we fermented the grapes in small, open-top bins that were punched down two to three times daily to extract color, flavor and complexity. The wine was pressed off into oak barrels of which 27% were new. There it rested for 10 months before bottling.
The Wine
Purely Pinot Noir in character, the wine shows off black cherry and plum aromas that return in the flavor. Notes of toasted cedar, smoke and spice are well integrated into the wine. The balance and complexity of this new wine is achieved in large part from its velvety tannins and apparent structure that we believe is a critical component of fine Monterey Pinot Noir.
$28 / bottle
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The Vineyards
The 2006 Tondre Grapefield Pinot Noir is our second release from this vineyard.
The Tondre Grapefield is located in the heart of Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands, with the elevation ranging from 175 to 400 feet. This all-Pinot Noir vineyard has the ideal terroir to grow a magnificent Pinot Noir grape. The fruit is a blend of one third each Pommard, Dijon 115 and 667 clones.
The Winemaking
Everything about this wine was handmade in our minimalist approach. After an initial sorting, we fermented the grapes in small, open-top bins that were punched down two to three times daily to extract color, flavor and complexity. The wine was pressed off into oak barrels of which 40% were new. There it rested for 11 months before bottling.
The Wine
This is very aromatic: spicy, sweet oak, cherry, and dried rose aromas; well-integrated oak and cherry, rhubarb, raspberry flavors; long, textural finish. Very balanced wine with food-friendly acidity.
$48 / bottle
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The Vineyards
Monterey County is easy to understand. The further north you are, the cooler the climate. Head south and you find progressively warmer temperatures. As a result the varietal mix in the vineyards of Monterey tend to change along this north/south line. Our 2005 Hilltop Red has at its heart Bordeaux varietals. We found them, as you would assume, in the southern part of the Monterey region where the warmer clime allows them to achieve full ripeness.
The Winemaking
The final blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petite Sirah. The dollop of Petite Sirah lends a touch more color to the wine as well as slight spice hints. We picked at peak ripeness, sorted the grapes to assure only the best and most consistently ripe bunches made their way into the wine and finally aged the blend in French oak barrels for 10 months. Fifty-percent of the barrels were new..
The Wine
The result is a rich, dark wine, luscious in character and sporting silky, rather than harsh, tannins. Black currant, spice, vanilla and coffee notes rise up in the aromas. The taste of the Hilltop Red is infused with brambly blackberry fruit, more black currant, cocoa and mocha. The wine is rich, and the finish long.
$22 / bottle
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The Vineyard
Our 2006 Chula Viña Vineyard Chardonnay reflects my belief that very carefully placed and well-tended vineyards will be the instrument that catapults Monterey wines to international status. By 2005 it was clear that Monterey winemaking was entering a renaissance. Our hope is that this wine furthers the artisan approach that is emerging in this unique region.
The Chula Viña Vineyard is located on a protected bench in the eastern hills overlooking the Salinas Valley. While the cooling fog keeps Chula Viña from ripening too quickly, its protected location assures the strong ocean-influenced winds do not stunt the vines progress. In combination with the warm afternoon sun, these factors provide a setting for the growth of stunning fruit.
The Winemaking
The wine was aged in barrel and sur-lies for 10 months. The wine was produced and bottled without any fining or filtering and was not cold stabilized. This minimalist approach keeps the wine in its natural state, allowing the fruit flavors to shine through in their original state along with its complexity and delicacy.
The Wine
Our Chula Viña Chardonnay delivers rich, dense flavors of ripe apple, melon and grapefruit. Notes of hazelnut and cedar round out the wine. The firm acidity of this Chardonnay creates a structure that gives it a refreshing profile. In our desire to maintain the wine’s authenticity we did not cold stabilize the wine, a process that can strip out flavors and nuance. As a result, the wine will have a slightly cloudy quality that will emerge with extended refrigeration time or when it is chilled below 45°. This has no effect on the flavors or aromas.
$33 / bottle
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We offer this inaugural vintage with pride. This small bottling of Pinot Noir is from our estate vineyard 700 feet above sea level and 14 miles from the ocean in Carmel Valley.
The grapes that come from this vineyard are generally of small size and are much darker and richer than most Pinot Noir fruit, and we attribute this to soil, clonal selections, and climate. The grapes were harvested by hand. At the winery we gently destemmed them, then they were fermented in open top tanks and punched down gently. The wines were drained and pressed then aged in French oak, 40% new, for 11 months. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
It is a blend of fruit from all of the blocks in the vineyard and is a powerful, dark, rich wine with aromas and flavors of plums, blueberries, leather, earth, smoke and spice. It will benefit from some bottle ageing now since it is still in its infancy, and because it’s a well-structured wine, it will age in the cellar for at least the next 10 years. We recommend giving this wine some air after opening, or decanting it.
The imprinted label is a precious metal, combining silver and palladium silk-screened on the bottle, then hand finished with ribbon, silver foil necker and numbered on the back.
$60 / bottle
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