Lucia Pinot Noir Sobranes Vineyard
Fragrant, floral, and spicy: the aromas of this Soberanes Pinot Noir seem to leap from the glass. Dark red in color, the wine offers notes of rose petal and lavender as well as a seamless blend of graphite, cherry, blackberry and wild strawberry. All combine to give it a truly elegant nose. Minerality is evident in the crystalline purity and focus of the wine. Its rich palate is replete with soft, velvety tannins that conclude with a subtle, many-layered finish. Be sure to give this wine air; if cool, allow it to warm up a little so that the shift in temperature makes present the full range of its different aromas. We’re especially proud of the balance between the phenolic maturity of this wine’s tannins and its aromatic finesse. This wine will age wonderfully for a decade, but also drinks well now.
After a difficult 2015 harvest and years of prolonged drought, the 2016 vintage saw beautiful weather conditions and a welcomed average yield of fruit. Rain returned to Monterey County in the beginning of the 2016 season (approximately 12 inches, the most our area has seen since 2011). Budbreak began the second week in March and vines showed more life and energy due to the early-season soil moisture. Strong vine growth required additional labor to tend to the shoots. Summer saw a balanced fruit set and weather conditions typical of the windy, fog-blanketed Santa Lucia Highlands. August temperatures were cooler than average which allowed for a slow, gentle ripening up to harvest. Patience was necessary for harvest—it began the first week of September and continued through the first week of October.
