Brophy Clark Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2018 Red Wine

Brophy Clark Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2018

Sadly, this is the final vintage for Brophy Clark Pinot Noirs. Kelley Brophy Clark and the late John Clark worked hard since 1996 to produce high-quality wines in the Central Coast region of California. Their Pinot Noirs have perfectly captured the essence of the Santa Maria Valley, with a wonderful blend of earth, spice, ripe red fruit and a splash of caramel. Lively acidity makes this a great food wine. Try it with Rotisserie/roasted chicken - what a great pairing that is! – Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

HARVEST

Adequate rainfall over the winter months led to a normal budbreak in spring. Good moisture in the soil spurred healthy vine growth and ideal yields. Temperatures throughout the summer and fall were in normal ranges, leading to a long growing season and excellent hang time for the fruit to ripen.

VINEYARDS

The Garey Vineyard lies in the heart of the Santa Maria Valley on a bench above the small town of Garey. The terroir is one of gently rolling slopes with sandy loam soils. The coastal fog influence and the cool afternoon breezes are the perfect climate for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vineyard was planted in 1998 by the Robert Mondavi Winery and is also SIP (sustainability in practice) certified. The clones for this wine are Dijon clones 667 and 115.

WINEMAKING

Pinot Noir grapes were hand harvested into half-ton bins and crushed into a temperature-controlled tank. Following a two-day cold soak at 58 degrees, which promoted enhanced extraction of color, aroma and flavor, the lot was inoculated with Assmanshausen yeast to initiate the cool primary fermentation. The fermenting juice was pumped over three to four times daily during the peak of fermentation, then once daily until dry, about three weeks. After pressing, the wine was transferred to a combination of one-third new French oak barrels, one-third one-year-old barrels and one-third two-year-old barrels where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation and aged for 16 months.

TASTING NOTES

This Pinot Noir is a classic reflection of its Santa Maria Valley roots with elegant aromas of ripe raspberry, wild strawberry and spiced apple highlighted by hints of toasted almond and dark chocolate. The palate features flavors of mixed berries with notes of herbes de Provence and cinnamon stick. The texture is silky and complex with smooth tannins and a long, opulent finish.

Appellation: Santa Maria Valley 

Vineyard: Garey Vineyard 

Harvest: September 26, 2018

Bottling: March 30, 2020

Oak Aging: 16 months 

T.A.: 6.3 g/l

pH: 3.52

Alcohol: 13.6%

Production: 228 cases