I’ve posted tasting notes below from December visits to four wineries in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains:
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery
Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery
Nicholson Vineyards
Soquel Vineyards
A full report on the visits - with more photos - is on the Grape-Nutz.com website:
Santa Cruz Mountains - December 2011
Windy Oaks current releases:
Windy Oaks 2008 Pinot Noir, “Diane’s Block,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Light garnet color, very pretty floral and red fruit aromatics along with a touch of dried herbs and a vanilla/oak overlay. Lively texture on the palate, with good acidity and long, bright finish, very nice.
Windy Oaks 2009 Pinot Noir, “Terra Narro,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Slightly darker color, with black cherry, raspberry, and a touch of cola on the nose, along with a spicier character than the “Diane’s Block.” Richer mouthfeel and more notable tannins on the lingering finish indicate that a few years of age with benefit this wine.
Windy Oaks 2009 Pinot Noir, “Estate Cuvée,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium-light ruby color, showing black cherry and darker berry fruit along with baking spices, earth, and a bigger component of sweet oak. Bigger and bolder than the first two wines, but still nicely-balanced, this finished with a moderate tannins.
Windy Oaks 2008 Pinot Noir, “Limited Release – 100% Whole Cluster,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Slightly lighter color, not as fruit-forward as the other wines, featuring more spice and herbal notes, without being overtly stemmy. There’s also bright cherry fruit and plenty of vanilla/oak. Showing more structure in the mouth than the other wines, this had moderately grippy tannins on the finish, and will need time to show its best.
Alfaro current releases:
Alfaro 2009 Chardonnay, Lindsay Paige Vineyard, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Light yellow color, with minerally apple and pear aromas. Lively and medium-bodied, this had a clean and pleasant finish.
Alfaro 2010 Chardonnay, “A,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Slightly lighter color, with more apparent oak and butter on the nose. A richer and more full-blown style, the finish was slightly harsh and could use some short-term cellaring to smooth it out.
Alfaro 2008 Pinot Noir, “Scarlet,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium ruby color, the aromatics were somewhat shy, but revealed herbal black cherry and plum, earth, and sweet oak. A bit thin on the mid-palate, it finished with moderate tannins.
Alfaro 2009 Pinot Noir, Garys’ Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. Medium-light color, this featured ripe and forward black cherry fruit and spice – very typical SLH character. Richer mouthfeel with a long, tangy finish.
Alfaro 2008 Pinot Noir, Lindsay Paige Vineyard, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium ruby color, this showed more spice than the other Pinots, along with black cherry and darker berry fruit, tea leaf, earth, and sweet oak. More structured on the palate, this had a long, tasty finish, nice.
Alfaro 2008 Merlot, “Billy K,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium-dark purple color, with plum, blueberry, and dried herb/tobacco aromas. Medium-full bodied with chewy tannins.
Corralitos 2009 Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium-dark color, showing plum, black olive, herbs, and pepper on the nose. Medium-bodied with a mouth-coating texture and moderate tannins, good value wine.
Alfaro 2007 Syrah, Ryan Spencer Vineyard, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Dark color, showing more black pepper, spice, and vanilla/oak than the Corralitos Syrah, along with more of a tart black fruit profile. Big and structured, this had grippy tannins on the finish.
Nicholson current releases:
Nicholson 2008 Chardonnay, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Straw color, citrus and tart pineapple aromas. Creamy texture along with good acidity, and a long, smooth finish, nice.
Nicholson 2009 “Old Vine Grenache,” Santa Clara Valley. Medium-light garnet color, showing bright strawberry, cherry, and herbs on the nose. Lively on the palate, with good depth and a moderately tannic finish.
Nicholson 2008 Syrah, Coastview Vineyard, Monterey County. 5% co-fermented Viognier. Medium-dark color, with peppery black fruit, spice, minerals, and a faint floral note. Medium-bodied, with a juicy acidity in the mouth and fine tannins on the finish, quite nice.
Nicholson 2009 “Old Vine Zin,” TC Vineyard, Amador County. Medium-dark color, aromas of spicy ripe black cherry and raspberry, with a slightly raisiny character and an overlay of sweet vanilla/oak. Medium weight on the palate with a big, grippy finish.
Nicholson 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sierra Foothills. Medium-dark color, herbal currant and plum fruit and spice within a vanilla/oak framework. Medium-bodied and lively, this finished with fairly chewy tannins.
Soquel current releases and barrel sample:
Soquel 2008 Chardonnay, “Partners’ Reserve,” Meyley Vineyard, Ben Lomond Mountain. Light yellow color, featuring apple, spice, and toasty oak on the nose. Big and rich on the palate, with a viscous finish.
Soquel 2010 Chardonnay, Meyley Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains. Slightly lighter color, this was brighter and more fruit-forward, with tropical fruit notes. Lighter and livelier in the mouth than the first Chard, with a smooth finish.
Soquel 2007 Pinot Noir, “Partners’ Reserve,” Lester Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains. Vibrant ruby color, showing slightly floral aromas along with cherry, earth, and herbs. Medium-bodied with moderate tannins.
Soquel 2010 Pinot Noir, “Partners’ Reserve,” Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium color, the nose displayed black cherry, plum, and spice. Another medium-bodied effort, and slightly more tannic on the finish.
Soquel 2009 Pinot Noir, “Partners’ Reserve,” Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains. Medium ruby color, this was less fruit-forward, showing more earth and herb aromas. Bigger and more structured on the palate, it finished with grippier tannins than the other two Pinots.
Soquel 2008 Zinfandel, “Ancient One Hundred Eight Year Old Vines,” Schmierer Vineyard, Lodi. Medium color, boysenberry and blueberry fruit along with lots of spice and touches of pepper, vanilla, and dill. Very distinctive Lodi Zin character, with ripe fruit, rich mouthfeel, and moderate tannins.
Soquel 2010 “Trinity,” California. Blend of Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Syrah. Medium color, bright cherry, spice, earth, and lightly floral notes with a touch of sweet oak. Medium-light bodied, with lively acidity and a long, tangy finish, nice.
Soquel 2010 Sangiovese, Luna Matta Vineyard, Paso Robles (barrel sample). Medium-light color, showing bright cherry, earth, mineral, and spice aromas. Lively and minerally on the palate, with lots of structure, this finished with moderately big tannins. Quite a promising young Sangiovese.
Soquel 2008 Sangiovese, Luna Matta Vineyard, Paso Robles. Medium-light color, ripe cherry fruit, earth, and baking spices. Great acidity and structure, with grippy tannins, very nice wine that should age well.
Soquel 2008 Nebbiolo, Luna Matta Vineyard, Paso Robles. Light garnet color, somewhat shy aromatics but showing cherry, tar, and earth notes along with a touch of oak. Medium-light on the palate but with a big structure and a tannic finish that indicate extended cellar time might be in order.