2008 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Our first ever Santa Lucia Highlands appellation blend shows off what has turned out to be a year as great in quality as the well-regarded 2007 vintage.  During a very cold period after bud break, there was practically no frost damage in the Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir vineyards like there was up north in Sonoma.  The growing season was another long one, in fact as long as the very cool year of 2005.  Also, the crop load was the smallest we’ve seen in the Santa Lucias for quite some time, with an average of just over 2 tons per acre.

 

This ’08 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir shows off what this famous Pinot Noir area has to offer with its combination of fragrant aromas, ripeness, and balance.  The wine begins with some intriguing scents of rhubarb and cola followed by hints of black cherry.  On the palate there’s a liveliness which brings together ripe fruitiness with perfect acidity and fairly low tannin.  We expect this wine to be drinking at its best between 2010 and 2014.

---