Tasting Santa Cruz Pinot Noirz

Skyline Subregion

Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards Dr. Thomas Fogarty bought 325 acres in the early 1970s on Skyline Drive in Woodside. He was the first to plant grapes on the region’s Skyline Ridge in 1978. Winemaker Michael Martella met Fogarty in 1980 while Martella was working at a large winemaking facility in the Central Valley of California. The two became friends, Martella signed on as the winemaker, helped design the winery, and has been there ever since. Two vineyards were planted to Pinot Noir in 1981 using heritage selection cuttings from David Bruce, probably Martini selection. There are now 25 acres of ridge top micro-vineyards including Windy Hill (2.5 acres of Pinot Noir, 1,970 feet above sea level), Razorback (2 acres of Pinot Noir at 1,400 feet), and Rapley Trail (5.5 acres of Pinot Noir at 1,650 feet). Initially the Fogarty style of Pinot Noir was full-bodied, darkly colored, with intense black cherry flavors, considerable structure and tannin and often were clumsy on release. Over the years the amount of extraction has been reduced and improved balance of tannin and fruit has been achieved. Currently, the Pinot Noirs are fermented in small lots, ranging from .5 to 3 tons. 25% to 30% whole clusters are used and fermentation is conducted without the addition of yeast. A 3 to 7 day cold soak is followed by a maceration period lasting 14 to 21 days including the cold soak. The press fraction is separated at the press. The Pinot Noirs are aged in 3 year air-dried French Oak from the forests of Bertranges, Allier and Troncais. Historically the winery has produced either a Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (with purchased fruit added to estate fruit) or an estate Pinot Noir. In special vintages, the micro-vineyards have been separated out. In addition, specific block-designated Rapley Trail Pinot Noirs are sometimes released. Since 2005, Martella has sourced Dijon clones and blended them into his estate wines and both Dijon 115 and 667 clone have replaced a portion of the estate vineyard previously planted to Merlot. The winery’s tasting room is open Wednesday thru Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (small tasting fee). The address is 19501 Skyline Blvd., Woodside. 650-851-6777. The website is www.fogartywinery.com. At the recent World of Pinot Noir I tasted two 2007 Thomas Fogarty Pinot Noirs presented by assistant winemaker Nathan Kandlar.

Clos De La Tech This winery is owned by Dr. T.J. Rodgers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor. The word “clos” is derived from the Burgundian term for an enclosed vineyard and the “tech” part of the name is a reference to the owner’s technology background. Silicon chips are applied to the neck of every Clos de la Tech bottle. The 2002 vintage reviewed below has two real silicon memory chips with 1.02 billion transistors on each bottle (at $0.0000001 per transistor, that’s $102 in value, making the wine free!). Clos de la Tech was founded in 1994 and consists of three vineyards planted in the Santa Cruz Mountains range: Domaine Docteur Rodgers, Domaine Valeta (named after Rodgers’ domestic partner, Valeta Massey) and Domaine Lois Louise. Farming is definitely high-tech, but winemaking is very traditional in the Burgundian mold. A new winery facility at Domaine Lois Louise Vineyard will eventually process up to 13,000 cases of wine. The small production is sold solely through a mailing list at www.closdelatech.com.

Rhys Vineyards Refer to Volume 7, Issue 13 of the PinotFile.

Saratoga/Los Gatos Subregion

Mount Eden Vineyards A winding unpaved eight mile road leads up to Mount Eden Vineyards, perched at 2,000 feet at the top of a mountain like a viticultural island. It has been likened to a “ship at sea” in that it is completely exposed to winds and storms on all sides. The timber house was built in the early 1950s by Martin Ray and now is the home of long time owner and winemaker Jeffrey Patterson. The entrance to the old winery can be seen in the photo below just to the right of the timber on the ground.

Martin Ray realized that premium wine could only be grown in the soils of the mountains. At the time Ray started Mount Eden, the valley below was all farms and farmhouses and the soil there was too thick and alluvial to successfully grow wine grapes. The mountains, however, provided formidable obstacles. There were no wells at the time so Ray had to get the vineyard established using rain water and water from springs. Annual rainfall at Mount Eden in a quality year is 30 to 35 inches, enough to currently dry farm. All work at Mount Eden had to be performed by hand as no farm equipment could operate in the steep vineyards. The original vines were planted in a 10’ x 10’ arrangement and the vines were trained vertically. Ray was an innovator but not a great winemaker and several of his wines were noncommercial. He limited his production, estate bottled his wines, used small oak cooperage, bottled the wines in heavy glass bottles and even sparkling wine bottles, and sold his wines at very high prices for the time.

Patterson notes that Mount Eden’s lineage of estate bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California. He started a stepwise replanting of the vineyard at Mount Eden in 1984 but kept one acre of the original vines as a “mother vineyard.” The Mount Eden clone (UCD 37) identified by Merry Edwards when she was the winemaker here is still used in a number of Pinot Noir vineyards in California. The six other acres of Pinot Noir were replanted to Winery Lake, Mount Eden, Swan and Calera selections, and Dijon clones 115, 667, 777 and 828. The Estate Pinot Noir is a mosaic of all of these clones. Today, the estate totals 40 acres of vineyards (20 acres of Chardonnay, 7 acres of Pinot Noir and 13 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc). The Pinot Noir vineyard is adjacent the house and winery and is pictured in the photo below. Patterson describes his vista as “a ying-yang view.” To the west is the Santa Clara Valley (left) and to the east are the mountains (right). The estate is 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean as the crow flies.

The Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir is an Old World style. The cool location of the vineyard, old clones and winemaking combine to produce a wine that is more austere than opulent. The wine departs from the typical California style by its higher tannins and acidity (the same holds true for the Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon). Many tasters have difficulty picking out a Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir from a flight of French Burgundies. Yields are low, varying from one-half ton to two tons per acre. Grapes are picked at moderate ripeness and the wines are not fermented or aged a particularly long time. Natural yeasts are used. Aging is in 75% new and 25% one year-old French Burgundy barrels. The ideal drinking window for Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir is 7 to 10 years. The photo below shows first leaf from an old Pinot Noir vine at Mount Eden.

I have to admit to an admiration for Jeffrey Patterson because of his ability to go it alone. Working at an isolated vineyard and winery, he has his own clearly defined vision, yet he is not closed to what others are doing. His story is not well publicized and he doesn’t trumpet his own horn enough in my opinion. I like him, respect his panache and his ability to craft highly unique wines which not only clearly reflect Santa Cruz Mountains terroir, but offer age ability that goes beyond what we have come to expect from California Pinot Noir. If you are a wine connoisseur and were to ask me to list the 10 California Pinot Noirs to try before you die, Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir would have a prominent listing in that small group.

Mount Eden wines are available for tasting in San Francisco at the Press Club (www.pressclubsf.com). One public tour of Mount Eden is available each weekday afternoon by reservation only (up to six people, no tasting). Phone 408-867-5832 extension 10. The website is www.mounteden.com.

Black Ridge Vineyards Jim and Cheryl Landes and Fred Faltersack bought the Black Ridge property in the late 1990s. The land had been planted with grapes as far back as the late 1800s during the California wine boom. During Prohibition, the property was replanted with prune trees and later converted into a Christmas tree farm. The infamous San Andreas Fault runs through the upper vineyard and the winery’s Bordeaux-style blend is appropriately named San Andreas Red. Some have theorized that fault lines influence nutrient transport and soil aeration for the good. The winery produces a superb Viognier, a rarity from the Santa Cruz Mountains, and a Pinot Noir to compliment the Bordeaux blend. The Santa Cruz Mountains is one of the few regions in California where Pinot Noir and Bordeaux varieties thrive almost side by side. The winemaker is Bill Brousseau who crafts the wines at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos and the viticulturist is Reuben Balderas. The Black Ridge property is located 3.5 miles outside downtown Los Gatos off southbound Highway 17. Tours and tasting by are available by appointment by contacting Ashley DeBois at 408-399-6396. The website is www.blackridgevineyards.com.

Mountain Winery The historic Paul Masson Wine Estate has been resurrected as The Mountain Winery and has resumed wine production. The Mountain Winery is situated high above Silicon Valley in Saratoga at the site of Paul Masson’s vineyard and winery, known as La Cresta. No wine had been produced at the property since the 1950s and the vineyard had not been seriously farmed since the 1940s. In 1998, four partners bought the 580 acre property and renovated the buildings and surrounding landscape to serve as an event and music venue. Replanting of the vineyard began in 2004. In 2006, both a Mountain Winery Estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were produced (about 300 cases total). Value-priced Mountain Winery wine is also produced under The Mountain Winery label from purchased bulk wine, intended primarily to be served at events on the property. Dave House, one of the winery’s partners, overlooks the winery operations and Jeffrey Patterson, the winemaker at Mount Eden, crafts the wines at Mount Eden. Eventually, winemaking will be carried out inside caves to be dug on the property. The tasting room located at 14831 Pierce Road in Saratoga is open Thursday thru Sunday (tasting fee). The estate wines are only available at the tasting room or online at www.mountainwinery.com. The website has a listing of concerts and wine tasting events. 408-741-2822.

Summit Road Region

Burrell School Vineyards & Winery Dave and Anne Moulton bought the 1890 Burrell School one room schoolhouse on Summit Road along with 20 acres in 1973. The property is located 1,600 feet above Monterey Bay. The Moultons had to replant their entire vineyard after the 1898 Loma Prieta earthquake (their property sits in proximity to the San Andreas Fault). Dave worked as an engineer for years, making wine as a hobby until 1992 when he bonded the Burrell School Winery. A winery facility was built two years later. The Moultons restored the schoolhouse and used it as a tasting room for several years, but it became their living room with the opening of an adjacent tasting room. The school house theme has been carried out throughout the tasting room and the wine labels which display the phrase, “I promise to sip my wine.” Dave crafts a number of varieties but he has a soft spot in his heart for Pinot Noir. The Burrell School Pinot Noirs are crafted from both the Estate Vineyard and nearby Veranda Vineyard. The wines are aged 18 months in 50% to 70% new French oak and spend 1 year in bottle before release. The tasting room is very inviting and the outside deck is the perfect spot to sample some Pinot Noir and take in the vista. Call ahead for tasting room hours or to taste by appointment. The address is 24060 Summit Road, Los Gatos. 408-353-6290. The website is www.burrellschool.com. Dave has been a driving force in the annual Pinot Paradise event. If you visit, ask to see his tractor collection. I tasted three Burrell School Pinot Noirs while visiting the Santa Cruz Mountains in early February 2009 and they are reviewed here.

David Bruce Winery David Bruce is one of California’s “Pinot Pioneers.” A dermatologist by training, Bruce started his winemaking career in Oregon making wine from Concord grapes. His early interest and training in Pinot Noir winemaking came from the legendary Martin Ray. David Bruce Winery was founded in 1964 and the first commercial release of Pinot Noir was in 1966. Bruce was one of the first California winemakers to use whole berry fermentation and to advocate foot crushing of the cap, extensive skin contact and small barrel French oak fermentation. He was also one of the first to extoll the virtues of wine drinking years before the 1991 60 Minutes television program on the French Paradox. Bruce published a booklet titled, “Ten Little Known Medical Facts about Wine that You Should Know.” He was one of the first doctors to publicize that resveratrol in red wine increases good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol. He recommended that hospitals have wine on the patient menus and encouraged a glass of wine for the elderly to improve their appetite and raise their self-esteem. He pointed out that sulfites in wine are a non-issue for 99.9% of people since true allergies to wine are extremely rare and then only to egg white used as a fining agent. He also defused the hysteria about elevated lead levels in wine.

Currently, David Bruce is still visible in his vineyard and winery and attended this year’s World of Pinot Noir. He is organizing his memoirs for inclusion in a book about his extraordinary career. Beside the 16-acre Estate Vineyard (9 acres planted to Pinot Noir) located at 2,200 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the winery sources grapes from over thirty growers in Northern and Central California representing ten different appellations. The Estate Pinot Noir is the signature wine in the David Bruce lineup but the appellation and vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs are consistently fine and are sold on the website at www.davidbrucewinery.com. The tasting room is open from 12:00 to 5:00 daily at 21439 Bear Creek Rd in Los Gatos. 408-354-4214. The winemaker since 2004 is Mitri Faravashi. Total production is now 60,000 cases annually including multiple wine varietals. Astonishingly, there is not one picture of David Bruce on his website and only one on Google Images. I regret I didn’t snap a picture at the recent World of Pinot Noir.

Loma Prieta Winery Paul and Amy Kemp are newcomers to the Santa Cruz Mountains wine scene but their Pinot Noirs have made quite a splash. In 1970, Paul acquired property high in the mountains with sweeping views of the entire Monterey Bay to the west and Mount Loma Prieta to the east. It wasn’t until 2003 that he planted an estate vineyard, built a home on the property, and in 2008 completed a 4,000 square foot Tuscan-styled winery and guest center. The Estate Vineyard, situated at 2,300 feet, is one of the highest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Loma Prieta brand was launched in 2003 with a Cabernet Sauvignon from purchased grapes and Pinot Noir followed the next year. Since 2004, the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling has been sourced from the Saveria Family Vineyard in Corralitos which is managed by renowned viticulturist, Prudy Foxx. The 2006 Loma Prieta Saveria Family Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir won gold medals in three major competitions: the 2008 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and the 2008 West Coast Wine Competition. Total production, which includes a Merlot, is quite small and sold primarily through the tasting room and website. Paul manages to juggle the demands of his personal injury law practice with winemaking, and Amy, who is passionate about Pinot Noir as well, oversees all sales and marketing. Call 408-353-4570 for tasting room hours. If you do plan to visit, carefully follow the directions on the website at www.lomaprietawinery.com. The estate is about as far away from the town of Los Gatos as you can get. It is an adventure driving there, but once you arrive, you will receive a warm welcome and a glass of Pinot as you succumb to the magical view.

The Loma Prieta Winery label is quite striking. The artwork depicts a whimsical magician holding a glass of wine and flying over Mount Loma Prieta with an earthquake fault clearly visible. The artwork was specially commissioned by the Kemps and displays the work of Martin LaBorde from New Orleans, Louisiana. All of LaBorde’s artwork features a little magician named Bodo who lives in a spiritual landscape that is dominated by a deep black space. Several of LaBorde’s original paintings adorn the walls of the Kemps’ home.

Muns Vineyard Ed Muns and Mary Lindsay are the team behind Muns Vineyard wines. Ed was formerly a technology manager at Hewlett-Packard and Mary was a public relations consultant for technology start ups. Ed found an abandoned vineyard that brushes the sky on the Loma Prieta Ridge above Monterey Bay at 2,600 feet while looking for a high elevation home for his ham radio antennas. Together the pair cleared the land and replanted the 12-acre vineyard to Pinot Noir. It is now the highest Pinot Noir vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The site enjoys maximum sunlight yet it is exposed to gentle and cooling breezes during the summer from the fog intrusion below. The vineyard is planted to Dijon clones 114, 115, 667 and 777 and is pristinely farmed. The wines since 2005 have been crafted by Tony Craig (Sonnet, Silver Mountain). The grapes are 100% de-stemmed. A few day cold soak is followed by inoculated whole berry fermentation with cap management achieved by pulsed air. Barrel aging is carried out uniquely in 30% to 40% very tight grain new Eastern European oak for 14 to 17 months depending on the vintage. The aim is for oak to be supportive but not assertive. Eastern European barrels add notes of ground spices, such as cumin, clove, white pepper and coriander not seen from French barrels. The lees are stirred to maintain color and fill out the palate. The wines are not racked. The winery dog is a Jack Russell terrier named “Pinot,” who is an accomplished hunter of gophers, lizards and occasionally rattlesnakes. The Muns Vineyard Pinot Noirs (and a dry Rosé) are available through the website at www.munsvineyard.com. 408-515-2663. Mary Lindsay is the President of the Viticultural Association of the Santa Cruz Mountains (www.vascm.com) and is an excellent source for information on the region (408-984-7242). A few of Mary’s beautiful photographs of Muns Vineyard are included here with her permission. The reviewed wines were tasted at Silver Mountain Vineyards in early February 2009 and at the World of Pinot Noir in early March 2009.

Silver Mountain Vineyards Proprietor Jerold O’Brien can tell some stories about his time in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A former Air Force pilot, Jerold learned about wine as a 19 year-old, when after enlisting in the Air Force, quickly learned, “Adult beverages were mandatory.” Upon discharge from the Air Force, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and volunteered at a number of wineries to learn the business. He was mentored by Joseph Swan, Richard Graff, and John Meter (Ventana). In 1973, he bought the Silver Mountain property which consisted of a run-down and abandoned orchard lacing a road and well at 2,100 feet above Monterey Bay. He built a road and drilled a well and camped out in the barn on the property with his wife and young son for over a year. Eventually he completed a house, but his wife did not share his commitment to the venture and departed. Jerold has been single ever since. In the mid 1970s, O’Brien obtained Pinot Noir cuttings from Joseph Swan and Chardonnay cuttings from Mount Eden and began a nursery for future plantings. He converted the barn on the property to a winery and became bonded in 1979. The first ten years Silver Mountain wines were produced primarily from purchased Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes. From 1980 to 1982, a Chardonnay vineyard was planted on the property and has been farmed organically since its beginnings. Pinot Noir was planted later. In the years on the mountain, O’Brien has endured and persevered through floods, landslides, fires and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which destroyed the original winery. In 1995, he finished construction of an improved, gravity-fed winery, added winemaker Tony Craig (formerly of David Bruce), and the Pinot Noir program took a huge leap forward. Jerold calls himself a “half-ass winemaker who has plenty of common sense and experience.” The combination of Craig’s superb palate for Pinot Noir and O’Brien’s years of know how has produced a string of excellent Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noirs. Jerold has a friendship with David Bruce dating back to 1972. Bruce was always very helpful and encouraging, but he told O’Brien, “You’re a fool to get into the wine business. There is no money in it.” After all of these years, Jerold just smiles and shakes his head, “If you succeed once in a while, it is worth it.” Silver Mountain has a new tasting room which should be open soon once proper access roads are approved. Currently the winery is open for tours and tasting by appointment Saturday afternoons. Silver Mountain Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Alloy (a Bordeaux blend of locally grown Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) are available on the website at www.silvermtn.com. 408-353-2278. The three Silver Mountain Pinot Noirs reviewed below were sampled at the winery in early February 2009 and at the World of Pinot Noir in early March 2009. All the wines showed excellent tannin management with structure and tannin evident, but not in any way imposing.

Los Ranchos/Coastal Hills

Clos Tita David and Britta Estrada farm a 1-acre estate vineyard at 900 feet elevation in the Scotts Valley area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard is meticulously managed by hand and all 700 vines are pruned by David, who is also the winemaker and cellar master. As a practicing dentist, his patients are always startled to see his purple fingers under his gloves during harvest. Production is tiny, with only 75 to 150 cases of Estate Pinot Noir and a few hundred cases of a Santa Cruz Mountains Cuvée Pinot Noir assembled from purchased grapes. The wines usually spend two years in premium French cooperage. The wines are sold directly and through limited retail distribution in the Santa Cruz and San Francisco Bay area. The winery is not open for tours or tasting. The website is www.clos-tita.com. 831-439-9235.

Hallcrest Vineyards Established in 1941, Hallcrest remains a small, family owned winery. Originally the property was a retreat for the Hall family who located here at the crest of a small hill above the town of Felton. Chaffee Hall was a prominent business attorney from San Francisco who had a passion for wine and planted the Hallcrest Estate Vineyard in 1941. At the time, Hallcrest was one of only three wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the only one producing varietal wines from estate vineyards. In 1987, John Schumacher and his family bought the Hallcrest site which had been operating as Felton Empire Winery since Chaffee Hall’s retirement. The Schumachers restored the original Hallcrest name and label and converted the vineyards to sustainable agriculture, becoming the first coastal vineyard to be certified organic. John started making wine as a hobby at the age of 13 and continued his education at University California Davis. When he converted his garage into a bonded winery at age 24, he became the nation’s youngest wine proprietor. John crafts wines from many varieties but enjoys working with Pinot Noir grapes in particular. The heart of the Hallcrest brand are the vineyard designated wines which have site-specific and Santa Cruz Mountains AVA character. Many of these wines have won gold medals at prestigious wine competitions. John also produces a number of organic wines (sulfite-free) under The Organic Wine Works label. The Organic Wine Works wines were the first certified organic wines in the United States and the first wines allowed to state “organically grown and organically processed” on their label by the BATF. The Hallcrest Vineyards tasting room is open daily from 12:00 to 5:00 at 379 Felton Empire Road in Felton. The website is www.hallcrestvineyards.com. 800-699-9463.

Heart O’ The Mountain This property is located in a relatively isolated part of Scotts Valley and has a rich history. Beginning in 1881, Pierre Cornwall produced wine here under the Santa Sada label. Cornwall named the estate “Heart of the Mountain,” or Cornwell Ranch. The noted director Alfred Hitchcock acquired the estate from the Cornwell family in 1940 and lived here on and off until 1970. According to the book, Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco, written by Jeff Kraft and Aaron Leventhal, Hitchcock “had a passion for the San Francisco Bay Area. His connection to the region went deeper than his films. His Scott’s Valley estate became a home he adored.” He welcomed this estate as a getaway from the pressures of Hollywood. Scotts Valley is a small town located midway between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz on Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Hitchcock’s house consisted of 5,000 square feet built in a Spanish style and included elaborately landscaped gardens and a vineyard where reputedly he grew white Riesling that he sold to Cresta Blanca Winery. Hitchcock was a gourmand and a wine lover and lavishly entertained many Hollywood luminaries including Ingrid Bergman, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco and Joan Fontaine, who starred in Hitchcock’s 1940 movie, Rebecca, and whose mother lived in nearby Saratoga. Photos of the house and wine cellar from my recent visit follow (entrance to wine cellar is in the upper left photo).

The 154-acre property was acquired by Robert and Judy Brassfield in 1978 and they have lived there since 1979. They have lovingly preserved this historic estate including much-needed extensive renovation after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Brassfields transformed an old horse barn on the property into a winery in the early 2000s. Robert and his brother were investors in Felton-Empire, a Santa Cruz Mountain winery that dates to the late 1970s. One of Robert’s ex-partners, Jim Bauer, planted vineyards on the Heart O’ The Mountain property and continues to manage them. There are a total of 6.6 acres planted to Dijon clones 667 and 777 (planted in 2002), 115 (planted in 2006), 828, plus Pommard (planted in 2003). The vineyard elevation is 1,100 feet.

Robert told me his parents came to California as part of the “Grapes of Wrath” movement from Oklahoma and they picked fruit in the San Joaquin Valley where Robert was raised. Robert eventually became a very successful Angus beef rancher (see website for further information). The winery and vineyards became a catalyst for retirement and together with his son, Brandon, they began vinifying Pinot Noir with a consulting winemaker in 2004. A few barrels were produced in 2004, but the first commercial release came with the 2005 vintage consisting of 180 cases. The latest release of 500 cases of Estate Pinot Noir is blended from various blocks of clones 667, 777 and Pommard. A very small amount of Estate Pommard clone Pinot Noir is bottled separately and sold only to members of the winery’s wine club and visitors to the winery. Both Robert and son Brandon have learned winemaking through courses at University California Davis and their passion shows in the hand-crafted artisan wines. I visited the winery in late February 2009 and was welcomed warmly. So far, the Pommard clone seems to be the star here and brings out the best in this site. I tasted a barrel of 2007 Pommard Pinot Noir and it was, in one word, amazing. This was one of the greatest Pinot Noirs I tasted on my trip to the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was seamless and strikingly ethereal for a young wine, showing off brightly spiced cherry flavors and perfumed with exotic floral aromas that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The 2006 Heart O’ The Mountain is a good wine as well. I tasted it blind during judging for the Pinot Summit coming up in April, tasted it at the winery and again at lunch at the World of Pinot Noir. Heart O’ The Mountain Pinot Noirs are sold only through an allocation list at www.heartothemountain.com. The winery is not open to the public due to its relative inaccessibility created by a narrow entrance road. Those who purchase a case of wine are invited to the annual winery party where they can tour the exterior of the historic Hitchcock house. 831-345-6133. The photo below shows Brandon (left) and Robert (right) at their winery and a barrel of 2008 Pinot Noir fermented with “wild” or natural yeast.

Wines of Vine Hill The long history of this property was referenced on the first page. One of the ownerpartners, Nick Guerrero, and local wine writer Laura Ness have compiled a history of Vine Hill and have given me permission to summarize their research here. The property known today as Vine Hill Winery dates to 1863, when George and John Jarvis began land buys and started clearing the land for vineyards. By the 1880s, the Jarvis Brothers had planted all 300 acres to vineyards in what was then known as the Vine Hill District. The winery began to fall on hard times around the time of the general depression in 1876 and some of John’s holdings (his brother George had sold his shares and moved his “Jarvis Wine & Brandy Co.” to Santa Clara) were repossessed by the bank. In 1877, John managed to buy back some land from a business associate, Alfred Lay, and he named the land Union Vineyard, which is today’s Vine Hill Winery. Union Vineyard consisted of 63 acres of various varieties including Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Mourvedre, Petite Pinot, Zinfandel, Malvoisie and Balaret with a small amount of table grapes. By 1890, the wines from Vine Hill had gained recognition as the wines were shipped to the East Coast. Energies were turning to producing premium wines but phylloxera and a disastrous fire in 1899 destroyed much of the vineyard. When John Jarvis died in 1892 at the age of 60, he left the Union Vineyard to his son Henry who planted Zinfandel vines on the property. The vineyard was continuously farmed before and after Prohibition with the vines surviving until David Bruce replanted the vineyard in 1968.

The Pesenti-Locatelli family acquired the mountain vineyard in 1935. David Bruce began buying Zinfandel from Joe Locatelli in the early 1960s. Bruce bought the vineyard (today’s Vine Hill) in 1968, removed the Zinfandel vines and replanted the vineyard to the Wente clone of Pinot Noir (on its own roots). At the same time, Ken Burnap, a restaurateur from Orange County (The Hobbit) with a passion for Pinot Noir was searching for the perfect site to source Pinot Noir in Northern California. He had studied Burgundy for years, traveled to Burgundy with Joseph Swan and Kermit Lynch, and had established a number of criteria for Pinot Noir vineyard success. He was taken by Bruce’s 1968 Zinfandel produced from Bruce’s vineyard. Sipping Pinot Noir one day together, Bruce told Burnap he was selling the mountain vineyard. After performing soil samples and climate research, Ken acquired the 26-acre Vine Hill property in 1974 and named it Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. The first vintage of Pinot Noir from the property in 1975 was a success and wine writer Jerry Mead told Burnap that his first Pinot Noir was his best ever. However, Burnap’s Pinot Noirs were rustic, acidic and tannic and took many years to mature. They were nothing like other California Pinot Noirs then or since. Never considered a vin de garde, his Pinot Noirs still remain an important legacy in the history of Pinot Noir in California. Jeff Emery joined Burnap in 1979 and remained until the property was sold. Emery has continued the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard label and has maintained the tradition of producing wines that reflect the terroir of the region, but he has improved the acid, tannin and fruit balance and crafts Pinot Noirs that are more approachable early on. Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is now located in Santa Cruz in the Surf City Vintners complex (see page 10).

Burnap sold his Vine Hill property to a group of twelve investors in 2004. The new owners are Nick and Celeste Guerrero, Nat and Laura Simons and nine other couples. Nick Guerrero has a degree in Fermentation Science from University California Davis and worked at Anheuser-Busch on the East Coast following graduation. He later obtained an MBA and MPH degree from University California Berkeley and pursued a second career in the health care field. His employer was in Ohio and he commuted from the West Coast each week from the West Coast. He had been making wine in his garage since 1991 and five couples eventually joined in. Disenchanted with the weekly travel and inspired by his winemaking efforts, he decided to take on the wine business full time. In 2005 the owners hired Sal Godinez, an experienced winemaker trained at Saintsbury in the Napa Valley and a close friend of Guerrero. Godinez had lived next door to Guerrero’s mother in St. Helena and Guerrero was impressed with his talents. At Saintsbury, Godinez helped craft the first Dijon clone based wine from the Brown Ranch Vineyard in 1996.

The original Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard has been replanted (the last vintage from the original plantings was 2004) with more than twice the density (from 3,000 vines to 7,000 vines) using two rootstocks and Dijon clones 115, 667, 777 and 828. Because the original vines were diseased, only one vine was saved. Rachel Ormes is the vineyard manager. The new owner’s intent is to carry on the long and storied legacy of grape growing and winemaking at this historic property. Two labels are under the Wines of Vine Hill umbrella: Gatos Locos of Vine Hill, value priced wines for fun drinking ( 2005 and 2006 vintages available, $29 to $41) and Cumbre of Vine Hill, which are serious Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noirs (2006 vintage in release, $49 to $59). Current production is less than 1,000 cases. The wines are available on the website at www.winesofvinehill.com. 831-427-0436. The Cumbre of Vine Hill Pinot Noirs were tasted at the winery and at the World of Pinot Noir in early March. The wines from this subregion typically take awhile to come around and can age very well. The photo below shows the newly planted Vine Hill Vineyard and the three Gatos Locos of Vine Hill (Crazy Cats: Sal Godinez on the left, Rachel Ormes in the center and Nick Guerrero on the right).

Corralitos/Pleasant Valley Subregion

Martin Alfaro Joseph Martin, engineer-turned-winemaker, crafts vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from two sources in the Santa Cruz Mountains as well as vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands and San Benito County. Martin also crafts the lineup of wines at Alfaro Family Winery & Vineyards in Corralitos. The wines are sensibly priced and available on the website at www.martinalfaro.com. 831-728-5172.

Pleasant Valley Vineyards Craig and Cathy Handley farm an estate vineyard on Pleasant Valley Road in Aptos, tucked next to a grove of coastal redwoods and only five miles from the Monterey Bay. Established in 1996, the vineyard is planted to Dijon clones. The vines are lovingly hand pruned, hedged, de-leafed and harvested. The wine is handcrafted from estate fruit, made in very small lots of 2 to 4 barrels and bottled on site. There are a number of musicians in the family and this is reflected in the unique label for the Estate Dylan David Pinot Noir. For the 2007 vintage, Pinot Noir will also be produced from the Lester family’s Deer Park Vineyard in Corralitos. Craig has spearheaded the Corralitos Wine Trail which consists of four relatively new small wineries located in Corralitos, the most southerly region of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. The wineries are open for special Corralitos Wine Trail Open House events. Tasting is also available by appointment (831-728-2826). The website is www.pvvines.com.

Windy Oaks Estate Vineyard & Winery Those who read the PinotFile regularly know that I am a big fan of Windy Oaks Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. Forget all those big name cult Pinot Noirs in California, this is the real deal. Unfortunately, there are only 2,200 cases to go around and many pinotphiles are already clued in. Jim and Judy Schultze have used their over 20 years of interest and experience in artisan winemaking to create Windy Oaks. The Burgundian varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are produced from a 19-acre vineyard (18 acres of Pinot Noir, 1 acre of Chardonnay) located 1,000 feet on a ridge overlooking the Monterey Bay. The Schultzes have lived in Australia and Europe and visit Burgundy yearly to exchange information and meet with their coopers. They have a clear sense of the Burgundian methods of winegrowing. The vineyard was planted between 1996 and 1999 and is farmed according to organic and biodynamic principles with a permanent cover crop and direct measurement of plant water status. The vines are all hand-tended. The microclimate allows for an extremely long growing season with bud break typically in late February and harvest in mid-October. Typically, Windy Oaks Estate Vineyard is the last to be harvested in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Physiologically ripe grapes are harvested without high Brix with the grapes possessing a balanced natural acidity. A small winery is beautifully laid out and equipped on the property allowing for the entire production of the wines including bottling to be performed on site.

All the wines are made with 100% estate grapes. Extreme minimal intervention is employed with no additives, 50% wild yeast fermentations, ML in barrel, 25 to 30 day fermentation periods and no settling before barrel, no racking in barrel. About 30% to 40% whole cluster is used. All winemaking is done by gravity from crush to final bottling. Long barrel aging is employed with a high percentage of new French oak. For example, the Reserve is typically aged for 25 months in 75% new French oak. Special French oak barrels are chosen for their tight grain and only 3 year air-dried (seasoned) wood staves are used. When I visited in late January 2009, Jim told me he had been in Burgundy at the Francois Freres cooperage and was offered and bought some 4 year air-dried barrels that DRC had reserved but not used. He also showed me one 5 year air-dried barrel with gold staves (photo).

Why the fuss about tight grain in oak barrel selection? Tighter-grained white oak used in wine barrels doesn't necessarily have less tannins but it releases the tannins more slowly. Also, when the grain is tight, there is less oxygenation of the wine, less evaporation of the wine and aging is prolonged allowing the wine to remain fresh. Finally, tighter grain wood comes from trees that have grown more slowly in more favorable climates and theoretically will have more desirable flavor compounds incorporated from the soil and climate. The forest of origin is of importance as the climate will affect the grain density and thus the quality of the wood. Vosges, Niévre, Alliers and Sarthe oaks all have a tighter grain and are widely used. Many Pinot Noir winemakers feel strongly that tight grained oak barrels are less assertive and more supportive, providing structure without creating obvious oakiness in the finished wine.

Why is the length of seasoning of oak staves important? Staves are allowed to dry in the open air, exposed to the natural elements of sun, wind and rain, which removes harsh flavors and other elements from the oak. Seasoning in the open air also develops and releases spicy and sweet elements. Longer drying regimes enhance the removal of undesirable elements while allowing additional time for welcome elements to emerge.

Jim is never satisfied and works diligently on new techniques to refine his wines. He has run trials and released Pinot Noirs that are wood-fermented, wild yeast-fermented, and produced limited bottlings from Burgundy suitcase clones. Despite the multiple winemaking approaches, the hallmark of Windy Oaks Estate is consistency. Year in and year out, the wines are reliably and often spectacularly crafted. With Chambolle Musigny as the model, the Schultzes are quietly crafting some of the best and most intriguing Pinot Noir made in California. The wines are sold almost entirely to select restaurants and mailing list devotees. Tours and tasting are available by appointment. The website is www.windyoaksestate.com and the phone is 831-786- WINE. A limited number of wines are for sale on the website.

Although not formerly reviewed, I can vouch for the other 2006 Windy Oaks Estate wines as well. On my recent visit to the Santa Cruz Mountains, I attended a dinner in Santa Cruz which turned out to be spectacular. The young and talented chef at Gabriella Café, Bradford Briske, took the time to taste all the wines in advance and the resulting food and wine matches brought me looking to the heavens and saying thanks. I have duplicated the menu below for your interest.

I should add a few comments about the other Windy Oaks Estate wines that were not formally reviewed for this issue. The One-Acre Chardonnay is a perfect compromise between the non-oak fermented and heavily-oaked and endowed contrasting styles of California Chardonnays (Windy Oaks Estate Chardonnay, $38). Diane’s Block Pinot Noir is sourced from a 4-acre vineyard located in Aptos a short distance from Windy Oaks Estate that was planted and is farmed by the Schultzes. It is a very fruit-forward wine. (2006 Windy Oaks Estate Diane’s Block, 341 cases, $45). The Wild Yeast Pinot Noir is a 4 barrel blend of 100% native yeast fermented Pinot Noir. This is quite earthy and has become very popular to Windy Oaks disciples and can take on voluptuous foods. (2006 Windy Oaks Estate Wild Yeast, 96 cases, $55). In 2009, there will be a value-priced Windy Oaks Pinot Noir added to the lineup called “Terra Narro” ($30), making a total of 9 unique Pinot Noirs for the 2009 vintage.

The 2004 Windy Oaks Estate Special Burgundian Clone Pinot Noir was the first release from a special half-block at the top of the vineyard ridge planted to a “suitcase clone” from Vosne-Romanee in Burgundy. Jim tends to this vineyard block himself, doing everything from pruning to leaf pulling to tucking vines. Its taste is similar to its Burgundian counterpart. It is a celebratory release presented in a wood box with a silk screen image of a poster created for the Schultzes by the French poster artist, Jean-Pierre Got. Aged 27 months in 100% new French oak, 26 cases, $95. I opened a bottle awhile back at a French restaurant and found the wine stunning. Unfortunately, there is only a 2 bottle allocation - Boo-Hoo.

A few more tastes of the Santa Cruz Mountains