April 19, 2024 – The end of the winter rains is exciting, just as was the beginning. We have so much to be thankful for, including two good water years in a row.
Spring marks the beginning of a new growing season, and although there was a bit of trepidation over frost the first weekend of April, budbreak is happening everywhere and vines are pushing forth with gusto. The vineyards are a bit farther along this year than they were last, so there is cautious optimism about 2024.
New wines are coming to the market, among them beauties from Cote du Denis (Odonata), J. Lohr, Mesa del Sol, Lucy Wines from the Pisoni Family and Tessier.
Super Secret Sauvignon Blanc
Even the usually forthcoming Denis Hoey himself won’t hint at where the 2023 Cote du Denis Sauvignon Blanc originates. This is his fancy French-looking label for wines that are absolutely irreverent, and prankishly excellent. We know it comes from Arroyo Seco and that it’s done in 100% stainless steel, with zero malo. After cold tank fermentation for 10 days, the wine rested for 5 months in stainless steel barrels before bottling. With an alcohol of 12.5%, and nose-tickling aromas of lime pith, lemongrass, acacia and gooseberries, this is one you’ll want to put into your warm weather rotation. The classic Arroyo Seco flavors of fresh cut pineapple, guava and lime sorbet will keep your palate refreshed and whistle clean. The vineyard’s secret may not yet be out, but this wine is certainly nothing to hide.
J. Lohr Celebrates 50 Years
The first thing you’ll notice, besides the great photo of the Lohr Family on endcaps at your local supermarket, is the 50th anniversary label on all the wines from this brand that has showcased the prowess of Arroyo Seco whites and Pinot Noir for the last five decades. The Lohr Family is marking the occasion with eye-catching new packaging for the 2022 Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay, marked by a flowering quince border on the label and a Stelvin screwcap closure. Riverstone debuted in 1987 and from the start it set a benchmark for flavors of baked apple, pear, and stone fruit with balanced acidity, partial malolactic and just enough barrel aging to give it that California creamy dreamy palate.
J. Lohr VP of Winemaking Steve Peck says they cut no corners when making this wine, “The care given in our vineyards and cellars to produce this wine is incredible. Night-harvested fruit is pressed here on site, and the juice then flows to barrels for fermentation and aging for 7 to 9 months before bottling. The flavor and balance of real barrel fermentation and aging can’t be imitated. We use traditional small oak cooperage, with weekly lees stirrings by hand, to maintain freshness and elevate mouthfeel.”
It all starts with the fruit, and Arroyo Seco is Chardonnay heaven. The J. Lohr winegrowing team farms 10 different clones of Chardonnay here: 4, 5, 17, 76, 95, 96, 548, 809, Hyde-Wente, and Mount Eden, each of which adds to Riverstone’s inherent complexity. Kudos to J. Lohr for 50 years of winemaking excellence and for further expanding Arroyo Seco’s reputation as a premium winegrowing region.
Lucy Wines Hits Home Run with Gamay Noir
While winemaker Jeff Pisoni has scored with each of the wines he’s made under the Lucy Wines label, beginning with the flagship rosé, the 2023 Gamay Noir (13%) is a total stunner, done in a semi-carbonic fashion evocative of Beaujolais. It was fermented with 60% whole cluster in open top tanks, including a vintage redwood tank, with 100 percent native yeast and both pumpovers and punchdowns for gentle extraction. The wine rested in neutral barrels for 8 months prior to bottling, unfined and unfiltered. Pisoni says that due to Gamay Noir’s large clusters, last year’s very long cool growing conditions presented a challenge to achieve ripeness without botrytis. Much fruit was sacrificed to ultimately achieve the goal.
Gamay Noir as a varietal is really catching on and is bound to be the next big thing to come out of the Santa Lucia Highlands. We know several winemakers are already bullish on Monterey Gamay, including Russell Joyce, Sabrine Rodems (Scratch), Chesebro (from Cedar Lane) and Caraccioli (from Escolle Vineyard). Denis Hoey is also making a carbonic version of Gamay Noir from the Highlands Ranch vineyard (SLH) under his Cotes du Denis label that he loves having on the Thanksgiving table along with Pinot Noir.
The 2023 Lucy Gamay Noir rivets your attention with aromas of tantalizing cranberry, marionberry and bright red cherry, spiced up with dancing white pepper and a hint of spearmint. A surge of blueberry pie with cinnamon, followed by raspberry and pomegranate, attacks the palate, buoyed by cardamom and that unmistakable Rockette chorus line kick of acidity from carbonic. This wine has no intention of being contained.
Fittingly, a portion of the proceeds from this wine was given to the Big Sur Fire Department last year and that will be the case this year as well.
Sometimes the best way to drink Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc is together. The 2023 Lucy Wines Pico Blanco is mostly Pinot Gris (86%) with a small amount of Pinot Blanc (14%), sourced from Arroyo Seco and the Santa Lucia Highlands. Whole cluster pressed into 100% neutral barrels and done with native yeast, this is juicy and wonderful stuff, from its lemon verbena and orange blossom nose, to its ripe yellow peach, Comice pear and Gravenstein apple flavors. Combining the brightness of the citrus with the creaminess of ripe pear from the Pinot Blanc makes for a completely enjoyable wine that goes well with casual conversation.
This wine, named for a 3,694 foot iconic limestone peak in the Santa Lucia Mountains, benefits the ocean conservancy efforts of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The popular hiking spot offers great views of many Big Sur peaks, and is part of a nearly 3,000 acre property owned by Granite Rock Construction, headquartered in Watsonville.
Speaking of Pinot Gris, Common Thread’s 2022 Skin Contact Pinot Gris from Regan Vineyard (Corralitos) was a huge hit at a brunch where I poured it for some friends at a new restaurant in Saratoga, called GOGA. The food is incredibly good and diverse, a touch of Asian fusion meets old fashioned brunch on weekends. This wine’s got incredible range, as it smells like a rosé but drinks like a light red, its orange cranberry and pomegranate flavors able to handle everything from crab cake Benedict to a scrambled egg and bacon taco to loco moco.
Mesa del Sol 2021 wines: Last Ones with the Legacy Labels
Purchased by Gary Lyons and Stacey Schrader in 2021 from Ann Hougham, Mesa del Sol is undergoing a transformation, both in terms of vineyard composition and winemaking philosophy. Not only have they added whites to the portfolio through purchasing, but Lyons is grafting Zinfandel vines over to Cabernet Sauvignon. It will be fun to see how that grape performs in this environment, and certainly, a Cab/Syrah blend might prove quite successful. But, to the wines at hand.
Made by Ian Brand, the 2021s still bear the beautiful labels depicting the Arroyo Seco Riverfront property where the vines live and thrive. The 2022s will bear the new labels that were made by Tyler Russell of Nelle, in Paso Robles. All the 2021s reflect a perfectly Goldilocks year, with even ripening and lack of drama.
The 2021 Mesa del Sol Primo Rossi (14%) blends Sangiovese, Syrah and Zinfandel into an Arroyo Seco version of a Super Tuscan, with juiciness marked by an equal measure of breadth and depth. It leans to bright cherry topnotes, with blackberry pie and a savory, peppery streak of Syrah wildness underneath. Super pleasant and easy to share.
If you like your Syrah with a side of peppered bacon and Asian 5 spice, you will dig the 2021 Mesa del Sol Syrah (13.5%). It’s a marvel of grippy, peppery bacon and salty licorice, with distinctive juniper berry, and totally delectable blueberry pie. This is the perfect wine for game, like roasted duck, leg of lamb or bison burgers with, well, bacon.
If you’re hankering for a Merlot with spunk, fruit and some Bordelaise character, may I suggest the 2021 Tessier Merlot, Green Earth Zayante Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains. One of the last own rooted vineyards left in the Santa Cruz Mountains, these vines produce wines dramatically impacted by the surrounding vegetation, scenting the berries with chaparral and bay laurel, and imparting smoky barberry and dried cranberry aromas. Surprisingly, the fruit is supple and juicy, with concentrated flavors of sweet cherry and strawberry, creating a sense of sarsaparilla soda. Yet there is a background element of dill and mint to add complexity. Long a fan of old vines in the Santa Cruz, Mountains, Monterey and San Benito, winemaker Kristie Tacey of Tessier Wines, is now happily pouring her wines, while spinning some of her favorite tunes at her new tasting room in Berkeley.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
