Vineyard: Rancho Ontiveros

Articles mentioning wines produced from this vineyard

Adventures Along the Pinot Trail, Part 3 (6.34 7/30/2007)
On the Pinot Trail: Recent Winery Visits (8.12 3/11/2010)
Mining for Very Good Over-$30 Pinot:Upping the Ante (8.32 3/1/2011)
Ambullneo Vineyards (rrruff!) (6.54 3/3/2008)
Blast from 2011 World of Pinot Noir (8.33 3/12/2011)
Augie Hug: Hug Cellars (6.62 7/19/2008)
On the California Wine Trail (9.13 10/26/2012)
Pinot Freak Brian Loring (6.25 5/7/2007)
Small Sips of Santa Maria Valley (6.54 3/3/2008)

Wineries sourcing from this vineyard

Loring Wine Company
Hug Cellars
Native9
Ambullneo

Reviewed wines produced from this vineyard

2009 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

14.5% alc., $60. This 8-acre vineyard was hand planted by James Ontiveros and named after the generations that came before him. His plantings were done between 1997 and 2000 (variety of clones and rootstocks). James is the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Miller family properties including Bien Nacido Vineyard. The winemaker is Paul Wilkins. I don’t know the proportion in this wine, but I know James uses a very high percentage of whole cluster. · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. Aromas of dark red berries, spice, herbs and mocha jump out of the glass. Easy going and flat-out delicious, boasting a powerful core of deep red cherry and berry fruit sheathed in healthy, ripe tannins, but retaining admirable finesse. Remarkable staying power on the aromatic finish. This wine makes quite an impression. Approachable now, but should easily last another 7 to 10 years. Reviewed October 26, 2012 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2008 Hug Cellars Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

13.7% alc., pH 3.25, 45 cases, $48. Clones 1A and 2A (Wädenswil). 100% whole cluster. Aged in 50% new French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered. · A superb wine that is just now coming into its own (it takes a few years for wines from Rancho Ontiveros to come around). Crazy amount of spice on the nose with a discreetly concentrated core of savory dark fruit and peppery spice on the palate, framed by bright acidity. Very good (+). Reviewed March 12, 2011 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2008 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

14.5% alc., $60. · Moderately deep reddish-purple color in the glass. Dark cherry and berry perfume with striking Moroccan spice and an underlying green, stemmy note. A medium-bodied mix of cherries and berries taking on more intensity over time in the glass and assuming a savory herbal tone. I suspect the whole cluster fermentation contributes the attractive spice elements to this wine as well as the unattractive green component. Tasted later in the day with dinner, the wine really sang with the food. Tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle, the green edge to the aromas and flavors was still evident. Time will tell whether this will change. Good. Reviewed March 2, 2011 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2007 Greg Linn Wines Rancho Ontiveras Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

150 cases. 100% whole cluster. · A fruit-driven attention-getter with a luscious core of perfectly ripe cherry and berry fruit. Plenty of hi-class booty here. The moderately husky tannins are fine-grained and the finish is lengthy and generous. Very good (+). Reviewed March 11, 2010 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2006 Hug Cellars Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

13.7% alc., 45 cases, $48 (sold out). Clones 1A and 2A. · I found that this wine was in a dumb phase currently which accentuated the oak. The aromatics are shy in fruit with plenty of toast, grilled cheese and char evident. There is a prodigious core of beautiful deep red stone fruits with a sidecar of herbs and plenty of char and grilled meat flavors. The texture is pillowy. Currently the oak overpowers the fruit and this wine will benefit from cellaring to allow the fruit core to meld with the oak. Reviewed July 19, 2008 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2006 Ambullneo Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

135 cases, $119. Greg’s first 100% whole cluster wine that prompts thoughts of La Tache he says. 50% new oak. This vineyard seems to provide fruit that is perfectly suited to whole cluster fermentation. · This really is a charming wine that is very approachable now. Lovely floral and oak spiced aromas. Complex flavors of black and blue fruits, forest floor, Asian five spice, and toast. Excellent balance and length with a long, chewy aftertaste. A feast and one of my favorites. Reviewed March 3, 2008 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2005 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

14.0% alc., $NA. Rancho Ontiveros overlooks Rancho Tepusquet, the third land grant the James Ontiveros family settled over 130 years ago. Father Mark and James Ontiveros tend the vines. · Dark reddish-purple color in the glass. Secondary bouquet of underbrush, cinder box, old book, cigar and sherry. Bold, very ripe, sweet dark plum and blackberry flavors losing out to dominant fine-grain tannins. A bit of acid shows up on the slightly tart finish. A well-aged wine that should be drunk now. Reviewed October 26, 2012 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2005 Loring Wine Company Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

13.2% alc., 400 cases, $45. · This is the most elegant wine in the lineup. Terrific aromatics bring plenty of hi-tone cherry to the front. Both red and black fruits are evident in the structured core. The fruit is embraced by toasty oak on a finish featuring fine-grained tannins. Reviewed May 7, 2007 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2005 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

$52. · I have tasted the 2004 and 2005 vintages several times and the wines always leave a smile on my face. Like a boysenberry cobbler just out of the oven, this wine alerts your taste buds. A ripe style with fruit to spare, it is long and plush with coating tannins. The addition of stems, which varies with the vintage, gives the wine structure and interest. Reviewed July 30, 2007 WINERY » ARTICLE »

2004 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

14.5% alc., $52. · Dark purple in color. Deep, dark fruits including plums and raisin and even a touch of port anchor this wine’s aromatic profile.. Healthy and robust in structure with flashy, plush fruit and ripe flavors veering toward root beer and port. The prodigious fruit and velveteen texture will be a crowd pleasure. This is the darker side of Pinot but I like it. One for early drinking as the lower acidity may not support the fruit over the long term. Reviewed March 3, 2008 WINERY » ARTICLE »