TNs: The 2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noirs

This is the first of the trio, as I plan to taste through the Garys’ and Rosella’s next. For context, I met Adam a lonnggg time ago, when I first started drinking SLH syrah he made from Rosella’s back in the 2001 vintage. I subsequently visited him at the winery on a several occasions over the years and have some great memories of his old Siduri/Novy building on Airway in Santa Rosa. Adam always had a strong flag planted in the SLH so it’s good to see him keep that expertise intact as he does his thing with Clarice, his new project. I applaud him for pushing ahead and doing what thrills him, post the JFW sale.

As I said in my TN below, Adam sent me these wines. And, I don’t BS in my TNs. Yes, I write mostly positive TNs, mainly because I don’t do trade tastings or big events where I sample a lot of things. My palate can’t handle it, nor can my body that does less and less well with alcohol these days. So, where I end up is drinking 99% of the time what I LIKE, and what I buy, resulting in mostly a string of positive TNs. It’s a narrow cadre of things now but this is my focus. My point is that I will write an honest note, and if I don’t like something, I will state it, albeit with respect and tact. So, whether I like the remaining Gary’s or Rosella’s, I won’t know until I twist them open but I do like this SLH blend, as you will find below it rings some bells from people who like Adam I respect and appreciate. PS–here is a photo from 2007 when I visited Adam at Siduri. I hope he doesn’t kill me for posting this one.

  • 2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (5/25/2019)
    First time I have tasted wine from Adam’s new project. I drank a lot of Siduri many years back, and was glad to see Adam do well with the sale of Siduri to JFW. For transparency, this bottle (along with the Garys’ and Rosella’s) were sent to me by Adam for feedback. It’s what I sometimes call ‘bringing the winery to us’, as it mitigates the time and scheduling to visit the winery. It also gives me the cool opportunity to focus on the wines exclusively across a few days and really dig into what’s in the bottle. So, I decided to begin with the SLH, which is a Rosella’s/Garys’ blend (mostly the former). I’ve drank a lot of SLH pinot in the past, although nothing currently other than Pisoni estate which I still buy, so it’s fun to revisit the fruit from this AVA. Blah blah, now to the wine. I twisted this bottle open yesterday, retasting again today for this TN. Perfect wine temp, using a burg stem, no food and some 60’s jazz for ambiance. Cool aromatics, presumably influenced by the whole cluster (about 60% used), giving it a floral, spicy impression, often as I find too in Jamie Kutch’s wines. The palate here is juicy, a mix of black cherry and strawberry, with some inflection of herb from the stems. There is a richness here, maybe in part added to by the 40% new oak. The palate impression that results reminds of a barrel sample feel, but this gets countered by a good lift of acid that is woven through it. As I taste more, I think about some 2017 barrels we tasted with Michael Browne of CIRQ last July. My point is that Adam has brought in that seductive quality that MB does well. The finish on this has some good coil and tannin, along with a lightly tangy note, akin to a riper cranberry and strawberry. So why do I add the names of Jamie and Michael to this TN, as this is Adam’s wine? I do it to add context, as I respect and appreciate the wines from Jamie and MB, as do many others. So, if you drink those wines, then I hope my reference to them gives Adam both a complement (or similarly MB and Jamie are complemented as they are in Adam’s company), and I do this because I convey better when I can compare and find anchors for what I taste. This is a terrific SLH wine, one that is still young yet has a depth of flavor and raw material. Very good.

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Cool notes, Frank. Love the additional details and further context. Didn’t expect to see this so soon, but I’m glad you did!

We march on…

Yesterday, I opened the first of the two vineyard designates, which are the components to the first wine above. These two vineyards are the Rosella’s and Garys’. I decided to start with the Rosellas’, drinking down a little less than 1/2 of the bottle yesterday. Today, following dinner, I went back to the bottle and did several small pours, allowing the temperature to come up each time so that I could assess the wine. Below is my note for the Rosella’s. I still have the Garys’ remaining, which I will open in the next few days, to complete the trio.

This Rosella’s maintains the deep cut of acidity that I found in the SLH blend, but with a higher level of concentration, wood and a touch higher alcohol.

  • 2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (5/30/2019)
    I drank and enjoyed the 2017 SLH last week, so figured I would do the Rosella’s next. Twisted this open about 30 mins ago after I had applied a slight chill to it. Burg stem without food. Aromatics remind me again of Kutch/Rhys, with the scents of spice and herb from the stems (about 60% whole cluster), along with the florals that they impart. This is plumper, denser than the SLH last week, with plum, strawberry and zingy raspberry. The finish is tangy, with some astringence/grip. This is a packed version of Pinot Noir, yet it doesn’t tread into a heavy place, as the acidity and structure of the wine is working well, giving it a purity and length…as I do with most of my wines at home, I pace the bottle so it crosses into a second or third day. So, retasting the bottle from yesterday, working it down to the final glass today. Same environment and conditions, just with the added day of aeration. This tastes more jammier than yesterday, imparting a hard red candy feel, as my sense is the new oak (about 85%) is accenting the wine. But as with yesterday, the acidity here is terrific, pushing the energy and tang through the core of the fruit. Overall, what I find here is a richer, spicier, tangier wine that exhibits more power and overt tones, with some new oak shading the finish. I prefer the 2017 SLH at this point, with the 2017 Garys’ left to be opened and experienced.

Posted from CellarTracker

My last of the trio, with this one the Garys’.

Adam, I enjoyed this peek into your three wines. I’d have to say now after trying them all that I prefer the Garys’, as it blends the acidity and the fruit purity together the best. The Rosella’s is a little richer, and the SLH I nice blend of both. All the best as you continue this project.

  • 2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (6/4/2019)
    My last of the trio of Clarice 2017s. Opened this 2 days ago, then finished more of it a day later. Black cherry, dark plum and some cocoa that adds a bit of inflection to the aromatic. In contrast to the Rosella’s from last week, this Garys’ finds the SLH citrus into the wine, the grapefruit quality of that site. The core here is tarter than the Rosella’s, with a good cut of acidity that gives the darker fruit a good counter-balance. I like the juicier quality of this too. Finishes with some blue fruit that carries the finish. Of the 3 Clarice 2017s, I have to say this is my favorite. Nice job here, Adam.

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Thanks for posting notes Frank. Wine + music = happy times.

I visited the Siduri (in their Santa Rosa location) in 2009 or 2010 when I first started enjoying PN. I can’t remember if I met with Adam or someone else. The funny thing is even from that photo I still can’t tell (insert all white guys look the same to us Asians joke). I can remember that it was an awesome visit, with a lot of education/tasting across the spectrum from different sites and locations with some great wine. My wife did not like the warehouse setting, but I loved the unpretentious setting and it was the best tasting from that trip.

I don’t have any pictures of Adam…


  • 2017 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (6/4/2019)
    Well, this was impressive. I didn’t have any real expectations other than I was told it was made by Adam. The wine is very well structured, comes across young and cellar worthy on the nose with stem aromas, garden herbs and dark fruit. Super flavor profile where the sage seems to dominate the herb aspect and there’s an excellent balance of oak, stem, and fruit. Medium acidity. This isn’t what I would associate with a typical “Gary’s” style pinot as it seems more restrained and elegant.

Posted from CellarTracker