Alpine Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2023
The Alpine vineyard is steep and rocky, based on Purisima Formation, formed of pure white shale and marine fossils. At only three million years old this geology is so young it hasn’t been compressed so it’s almost like talc and full of shells. This soil imparts a brininess, which makes this really mouthwatering. There’s an almost Chambolle like character and something somewhat reminiscent of an old Leroy bottling to this 2023 Alpine. Packed with roses and fresh flowers. cool wild mountain strawberries, and rosehip – there’s an airy quality here. Lifted, ethereal, and while it remains quite closed on the mid-palate, the finish is hauntingly long. This gets better and better with aeration, such wonderful detail and elevated, fragrant fruit.
critic reviews
The 2023 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is a grand expression of these 23-year-old vines in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It melds concentration and power with a weightless sense of grace. The 2023 is strikingly aromatic, delivering notes of black tea, pomegranate, orange peel and crushed flowers interwoven with veins of saline minerality. Driven and lifted yet remarkably poised, the 2023 carries an effortless sense of balance that leads to a long, refined finish. There’s an understated authority here that I find absolutely beguiling.