What’s New at CRŪ?

February 17, 2023 – When I visited CRŪ last week on a warm and magnificently spring like day with some of my favorite wine women, we were treated to a wonderful tasting of the current wine lineup by marketing director Rebecca Gilbert and tasting room manager Jess Felton. 

The entire experience was definitely enhanced by the delightful cheese boards featuring an assortment of textures and intensities to complement each of the very different wines crafted by longtime CRŪ winemaker Jose Reyes, who got his start at Bargetto. 

One of the biggest hits of the tasting was the 2021 Late Harvest Viognier from Rancho Real in Santa Maria Valley (14.6%, $30). Admittedly, dessert wines are not my favorites, but this one was completely mind blowing. It went home with several of the gals who vowed never to stash them in their basement only to discover an abundance of them while inspecting for storm damage (Julie) or who religiously purchased them only to never drink them (Cindy, Carol). Kudos to Ruthe, who not only purchases them regularly, but also makes a habit of consuming them, sometimes with sweets, sometimes with cheese. 

We did both in the case of this utterly captivating essence of apricots and honeysuckle. Jess served us both white and milk chocolate toffee made by a local candy maker, and each worked in a different way to bring out the nuances of this inaugural dessert wine for the brand. The apricot Stilton cheese from Trader Joe’s went splendidly with this unctuous elixir as well, and I can see this as the perfect finish to a seafood meal while watching the sunset over the Pacific. 

But let’s not forget the rest of the lineup, beginning with the outstanding 2020 Sarmento Vineyard Chardonnay (14.5%, $30), which I included in my top 10 Valentine’s wines. This was done in neutral oak for 13 months, and that yuzu and lime are just so mouthwatering. The clones here are 4 and 5. The Riboli Family owns this vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands from which CRŪ has been sourcing Pinot Noir for 10 years. That this wine was made in 2020, and is so clean and fantastic, is darn near miraculous. Avoiding new oak was a brilliant move. 

The 2020 Bien Nacido Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley (14.3%, $40), represents another first for CRŪ Winemaker Reyes, who has wanted to make wine from this storied vineyard, planted to 300 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1973 by Steven and Bob Miller. It has become one of the most sought after cool climate sources of these varietals in all of winedom, and CRU lucked out to have a contract to get it, considering how 2020 treated so many. Aged for 13 months in 30% new French barrels, this has good acidity and flavors of pineapple and ripe apricot with a touch of coconut cream. Wonderful weight. 

Then it was on to the single vineyard Pinot Noirs, beginning with the 2018 Sarmento Vineyard Pinot Noir (13.9%, $35 ), Santa Lucia Highlands, done in 10% new French for 10 months, giving it a silky smooth mouthfeel. The Sarmento Vineyard is 340 acres and southeast facing, with clones 5 (Pommard), 115 and 777. It oozes blackberry richness and raspberry raciness, with an herbal edge of tarragon and basil that adds a lot of earthy interest to the happily lost in the forest while truffle-hunting narrative. Truly a fine food wine, and well executed. This vineyard has always been among my favorites, from the time James MacPhail made it under the Sequana brand, which he later sold to Hess Family. (91 points, Wine Enthusiast, Editor’s Choice)

Moving south, we tried the 2018 Sierra Madre Vineyard Pinot Noir (12.1%, $50), from the Santa Maria Valley, done for 11 months in 30% new French. The 151-acre vineyard planted in 1971 on a 542-acre parcel, was purchased by Gallo in 2018. Aromas are orange peel, roses and baking spices like nutmeg and cardamom. The cherry pie and red plum flavors are assertive and at 12.1% alcohol, could benefit from some aging to absorb the oak. (92 points, Sunset Wine Competition)

If you tend to like bigger and richer Pinots, the 2018 Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir (14.1%, $60) will float your yacht. This is done for 10 months in 35% new French, but the fruit is stalwart and determined to wrestle the wood for dominance. With flavors of rich apple pie, black currant, nutmeg and dark chocolate, this is a very satisfying, impressive wine with a great finish. (93 points, Wine Enthusiast)

We finished our Pinot Noir foray with a really exemplary wine, meant for the discerning palate. The 2018 Sierra Madre Vineyard Clone 828 (14%, $70) is a small lot wine that really caught the attention of Reyes, who keeps all the clones from each vineyard separate through fermentation and aging. This one with its rich and pure expression of first class Pinocity, heavy on the cranberry, raspberry and strawberry, will impress serious lovers of the grape. (91 points, Wine Enthusiast)

Two wines that are not on the tasting menu at CRŪ, but are available in the broader market, including Safeway, are the 2021 Unoaked “Crisp” Chardonnay (13.5%, $20), from a vineyard in Arroyo Seco owned by the Smith Family. This is my idea of a taste of spring, with utterly alluring aromas of wildflowers and peach blossoms, with lush and exciting flavors that start out with crisp pear, tangerine and apple and end with sweet red grapefruit and lemon-lime. Just fantastic. 

The other is the 2020 CRU SLH Chardonnay (14%, $25), a beautiful pale yellow, with perfumey aromas of gardenia, daffodils, and lemon blossom, and a touch of brown sugar. From the Smith & Lindley Vineyard, this is perfectly Santa Lucia Highlands. Lively and lithe on the palate, the flavors are Meyer lemon, lime, pear and melon with mouthwatering peach melba.  This is juicy, wonderful stuff, with a finish of lightly toasted graham crackers and vanilla wafers.

A visit to CRŪ is well worth the drive to this gorgeous spot right across from the Pinnacles, where you can admire the vastness of the Salinas River Valley and the green for now hills of the Gabilan Mountains to the east. 

The tasting room, which occupies the former Paraiso Tasting Room site, is open Thursday through Sunday from 11am until 6pm.  37500 Foothill Rd, Soledad.