Plenty in the Sta. Rita Hills. As stated above, all quite young…but Clos Pepe is gold standard for me. Two vineyards to keep an eye on…Radian (just purchased in a vineyard bundle by Jonata: Jonata / The Hilt acquire famed Rancho Salsipuedes vineyards in Santa Barbara) and Kessler-Haak. Dan Kessler’s vineyard is right below Machado, and has the same vineyard management team as Brewer-Clifton. Since Francisco Ramirez & Stan Kadota took over, the fruit quality has skyrocketed! Zotovich is kicking out killer fruit, too.
Mt Eden. Fits both my subjective opinion and aforementioned objective criteria.
I’m in the same boat - I stopped buying Hanzell direct a few years ago purely based on price, even though it’s my favorite domestic pinot and chardonnay. Bottles seem to come up all the time on WineBid, with at least a 1/3 discount to retail. It’s unfortunate, but they just charge too much for me to swallow.
Hanzell and Marcassin
Too early to tell. I think we need to populate the wine growing regions with Catholic monks for a few centuries before we have an idea.
I have seen Swan terrace and Dehlinger mentioned but not the source of those clones…
Joseph Swan Trenton Estate has to be up there what a great selection of clones on that property.
Hanzell has a special place in my cellar as well but as prices when up so did alcohol’s with lower acidities. Not a buyer since the '07 vintage but glad to have some older bottles of the PN (before the 1953 block was its own bottling) and chardonnay in the cellar.
Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge has blown me away a few times blind- mid '90’s bottles 7ish years later.
Some of the best PN vineyards I have visited go into Bubbles not sure that counts in this discussion though as there always blended away and made into base cuvee.
Amazing vineyard, a special vineyard visit for sure.
I was very surprised to see RMP’s reviews of the 2012 CMR (79) and 2012 CMR Moon Select (82). Anybody here tasted these?
If it’s pure points as the judging criteria, it’s hard to see how Marcassin would not be the #1.
With Peter Michael’s Vineyard sources a close 2nd…
So it looks like the Hanzell Pinot is about the same price as Rhys Swan Terrace. Do people have a problem with that one as well?
Yep. Seems like their prices are now at market price for high quality CA Pinot. Palates can judge whether it’s worth the tariff vis a vis other options. I’m a buyer of both.
Blue Slide Ridge
While the Swan Terrace is good I don’t know if it has enough vintages under its belt to be at the top of the heap, I would nominate these as top choices:
W-S Estate (formerly called Litton), Gaps Crown, Rochioli West, Sea Smoke (and potentially Fiddlestix), Bucher, Sun Chase and the three “k’s” ( Keefer, Kanzler or Kopen). Also, Hirsh, Allen, Summa, Silver Eagle and Gary’s certainly are no slouches!
Please, please tell me that we won’t use points to bestow recognition on the plots that ultimately are deemed to be the best. Do we have to attach a numeric qualifier to everything, of all things a vineyard and the intrinsic beauty and pleasure it gives all of us?
Hasn’t been mentioned- but as far as SRH vineyards go I’d definitely say Sanford & Benedict.
I’m 100 points on this.
Mt Eden for sure.
Also, too high for me. Like many I was on RHYS from day one but dropped the off the list completely a few years back because I couldn’t justify the price increases. But, that’s just my own value judgment and don’t begrudge others continued love for RHYS.
Mount Eden/Peter Martin Ray
Larry Hyde.