2018 Comanche Cellars Pinot Noir, Saveria Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Divvy-Up
80 Points
Tasting Notes
The Saveria property could easily be mistaken for a French vineyard with its inspired setting - stone buildings and beautifully manicured vines in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Fruit forward entrance of strawberries with just the right amount of tannins and earthiness to create a full mouthfeel, and a finish infused with notes of cherry cola, pepper and a touch of spice.
Comments
We shall sell no wine before it’s time
This vague reference is probably unknown to most Divvy-Uppers. It was an Orson Wells commercial spot from 1979 for Paul Masson Emerald Dry white wine. There are just certain commercial tag lines you can’t forget, like “where’s the beef” or “can you hear me now?” I’m sure you have your favorites.
And what does this have to do with today’s post? It’s the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA. Paul Masson was one of the original winemakers from the earliest vineyards in this region, planted in the late 1800s. He went on to gain notoriety for his sparkling wines. Like many wineries, prohibition was a near death experience, but the Paul Masson legacy survived and was one of the major names driving the expansion of wine production in California in the 1960s and 1970s when wines like Emerald Dry - a cross between Riesling and Muscadelle created at UC Davis - drove the broadened adoption of table wines by the average American consumer.
That legacy lives on in The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, which is a fun concert venue and winery, and a part of the Santa Cruz AVA. You see, I did eventually make it back here…
Recognized in 1981, it is an AVA known for the elevation of it’s vineyards and for the coastal influence and fog. Some of the vineyards are at elevations of 3000 feet. It’s not an easy AVA to pin down. Beyond the elevation, there are protected sun-drenched valleys and fog covered coastal vineyards. There are big differences in micro-climates, but generally speaking it’s the cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that are stars, along with some mountain Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in the hot valleys and southern reaches of the AVA. While big in area, there are only about 1600 acres of vineyards, roughly 200 growers and about 70 wineries in this AVA.
Read more about the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA here:
https://santacruzmountains.com/santa-cruz-mountains-american-viticultural-area/
https://winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/
Sunday evening:
Slightly chilled pop & pour (using bottle top decanter): Nice transparent ruby color. Strong notes of strawberry on the nose, some blueberry, and I picked up a slight buttery note (almost like you would get with a chardonnay) but my wife looked at me like I was crazy when I said that... lol.
Initial mouthfeel was very light and delicate. Nice acidity, with a fruity finish that lingers on the tongue and toward the front of your mouth (not a throat burner like some of the big bold reds we drink from time to time).
I decided to read the label to see if I was missing anything in my initial impressions and the spicy/white pepper note is definitely prevalent. On pop and pour it was so well balanced with the fruity notes, that I didn't think to write it down, but would definitely agree it's there.
My wife and I tasted this wine and wrote our initial impressions separately so we didn’t influence each other :) Her independent notes: light, bright, sharp/acidic, and flowery “reminds me of the taste of how flowers look.”
After giving the wine about an hour to breathe, we sat down to pot roast Sunday dinner. The fruit was still there, but it took a bit of a backseat to the spicy notes, which really came out when paired with the food. The wine held its own and complemented our salty feast of meat, carrots, and potatoes quite well.
After dinner, I enjoyed one more glass with some Sunday night football. As the wine warmed up to room temp, the fruity notes definitely died down a bit. I drink most of my reds at room temp, but if you like that fruity nose and finish, I would definitely recommend serving this one slightly chilled (cellar temp).
Overall impression:
This is a very nice, drinkable pinot noir. It’s tasty, fruity, and floral, but not overly complex. Some pinots I have had in the past have strong savory notes that tend to drown out the fruit. Not this one. Comanche lets the bright red fruit shine and lead the way, ending with a spicy finish. I found myself wanting to go back for a refill as we were watching the game. I held back though so we could let it spend the night in the bottle and provide another update this evening.
Truth bomb:
My wife typically *hates* the pinot noir varietal, but she drank this one, and actually seemed to enjoy it! We may have to pick some up for this reason alone (our rack is typically filled with about every red varietal except pinot noir).
We will update later tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning with our 2nd day impressions.
Cheers!
-Mike & Katie
Quick update... pumped and stored chilled overnight, then enjoyed again last night after dinner. Other than a slightly softer mouthfeel, the wine maintained its nose, flavors, and finish without any major changes from the day before. This bottle is an easy drinker... we could have easily finished it on the first night :)
I'm impressed you didn't finish that bottle the first night. Chiefs fans watching that Sunday night game certainly would have. Cheers and thanks for a great review. This one sounds good.
Two time domestique the Giro d'Bottiglia!
Thank you for that review! And we especially love that we may have won over Katie with our Pinot!
Welcome, Comanche Cellars! We are thrilled to be offering this wonderful Pinot on Divvy-Up!
Ariana Kalff
Wine Country Connect
From the moment I first took in the nose of this wine, I knew this was going to be good ; ) And the first sips that followed did not disappoint!
I’m a fan of earthy pinots, and this definitely hit the mark for me. But this beautiful, well-balanced wine also gave my husband the fruit forward approach he loves. Notes of black cherry, baking spice, and forest floor combine to deliver a smooth, crowd-pleasing, pinot.
This will definitely be on my holiday rotation!
We agree, this is an excellent selection for upcoming holiday meals! If we do say so ourselves...
So one of the rats - er prevviewers - says it's not earthy and that's good because they prefer fruity Pinot and the other says they like earthy Pinots and this satisfies the bill. Where's the tie-breaker?
Taste is so personal, but maybe @ComancheCellars can add their perspective? Earthy? Slightly earthy? More fruity....