Mission Codename Hitting different
Pinot lovers assemble! You must be mad to pass this one up.
Spellbinding stuff, really, with a nice and respectable 92 points. And that price! To see this for 60% OFF, well, that’s just how we like to kick things off on a Monday morning!
Santa Cruz does not often come to mind first when you think of the best California wines, but it should. Giants like Ridge, Mount Eden, Kathryn Kennedy, and Rhys call it home. Antonio Galloni’s Vinous concluded on the 2015 vintage here accurately, “If I had to name the greatest estates in California, at least two, possibly three, would come from the Santa Cruz Mountains. These rugged hillsides above Silicon Valley are home to some of the most distinctive, pedigreed Pinot Noirs readers will come across. Quality is high, in some cases very high, producing intense wines full of personality.”
We love, love, LOVE our Sonoma Pinots but this Santa Cruz Mountains gem “do be hitting different” as the kids say. Forward and generous in the fruit department, this is a medium-bodied beauty with a supple, silky texture. Plenty of juicy red pomegranate and raspberry, an elbow nudge of cherry cola, an ear tug of baking spice, a tickle of earth and minerals, and a peck on the cheek of toasty oak.
Winemaker Bill Brosseau is a true veteran in these parts of California, who found himself making wine at Pine Ridge and Chalone while still attending UC Davis! Since 2000, he’s been at the helm of Testarossa Winery and his family project Brosseau Wines. Not only is Bill a gifted wizard in the winery but he’s equally famous for his vineyard expertise, a rare dexterity in the world of fine wine that he brings to the unique place that is Black Ridge.
As big fans of this appellation, it would not be too far-fetched to claim that the high elevation terroir here can be seen clearly in all the wines, like the view over Silicon Valley from up there on an equally clear day.
See for yourselves, before the last of it vanishes for good.
92 Points – Wine Enthusiast
“Beautiful aromas of ripe cherry, cloves, cola, pomegranate, anise, black pepper, and vanilla bean. Upon taste, these characters funnel into dried cherry, cranberry, anise, pomegranate, and cola notes. This wine has amazing texture of refined tannins surrounded by creamy richness. It showcases a lengthy and supple finish.”
What the Winery Says
2015 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Pinot Noir
- Winemaker
- Bill Brosseau
- Vintage
- 2015
- Varietal
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast
- Vineyard
- Black Ridge Vineyard
- Alcohol
- 14.2%
- Acidity
- 5.8 g/L
- pH
- 3.61
- Aging
- 12 months
- Barrels
- 50% new French oak
- Production
- 7 barrels