New Pinot Noir Source in SLH
So I may have found my Pinot Noir source. After much deliberation and calls, I've decided to go with a new vineyard in the upcoming Santa Lucia Highlands. It neighbors one of Gary Franscioni's vineyards and sits on the coveted "bench" off River Road.
Like Joe Alarid from Tondre Grapefield, the Kirk is really a farmer who is experimenting with grapes. Kirk grows lemons and avocados. I'm confident because both Joe and Kirk come highly recommended as folks with "6 green thumbs" and have reputations for "meticulous" vineyards.
Kirk also grows Syrah. It nestled between the Cactus Farm (which has wild looking, "Little Shop of Horrors"-esque cacti) and Garys' vineyard. Gary Franscioni helped him w/ select which clones to plant and advises him on growing.
Location/Soil: Decomposed granite and Arroyo Seco; next door to Garys' vineyard.
Area: 6 acres (3 of 667; 3 of 115)
Clones: 667, Pommard 4
Rootstock: 5-C
Planted: 2000 (first harvest 2003)
Approx. Yield: ~2.5- 3.5 ton (15-20T total)
The Santa Lucia Highlands region is an 18-mile strip of land near Gonzalez and Soledad running parallel to Highway 101, at the base of Santa Lucia Mountains. Conditions favor cool-climate grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Warm days are tempered by late-afternoon breezes from Monterey Bay, and the vineyards, planted on benches at 300 to 1,400 feet in elevation, are above the morning fog that blankets the valley floor. That means more sunlight on the vines and more even ripening, with a sufficient cool-down in the evening to firm up the grapes' natural acidity.
Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noirs typically are huge, intense, aromatic wines loaded with ripe black cherry and blackberry - and sometimes jammy - flavors. They are spicy, concentrated and firm in their tannic structure. While winemaker preferences determine the amount of oak influence the wines receive, our tasting showed many of the Santa Lucia Pinots to have a smoky quality that came from well- toasted French oak barrels.
- from: San Francisco Chronicle's article, Pinot Noir Mavericks, 07/10/2003