Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Pinot Noir 2013 Red Wine

Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Pinot Noir 2013

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

94 pts. Wine Enthusiast: "Though not one of the producer's single-vineyard bottlings, this estate blend manages to stun the nose and palate nonetheless. Tart mulberry, Kalamata olive, hibiscus, rose hips, red plum and sandalwood aromas wrestle attention immediately, then the sip delivers bergamot, cedar ash, exotic cranberry and rosemary depth. It delivers an excellent combination of wood, fruit and herb."

Oh, what a beauty! This Pinot Noir boasts a perfect balance and lively acidity that promises a very long ageability! Enjoy it now or lay it down, either way you need to grab some - quoting Robert Parker, "It's a killer value!"

ABOUT THOMAS FOGARTY WINERY

Few wine regions on earth can match Santa Cruz Mountains’ climates, soils and vertigo inspiring views. Set high in the mountains overlooking California’s Silicon Valley, the Thomas Fogarty Winery has been making single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet from the SCM appellation since 1981. Fogarty’s two estates are divided into micro-vineyards, ranging from .25 to 5.25 acres, based on soil and topography. All are maritime (10-18 miles to Pacific), cool-climate (Regions I and II), high-elevation (1600-2300 feet), low yielding (1-3 tons per acre) and mountainous.
The winery was founded by Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a Stanford cardiovascular surgeon and world-renowned inventor.

TASTING NOTES
Primarily purchased fruit with ten percent Estate fruit, this highlight the regional characteristics of Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. Dark cherry fruit, earth and spice box flavors are long and the texture and tannins are balanced.

VINEYARDS
Our Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir is sourced from vineyards from four distinct regions within the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA: the fractured shales of our two Estate Vineyards high upon Skyline Boulevard, coastal Corralitos, the rugged and rocky Los Gatos hills and the Summit Road area, which has the highest elevations in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Each vineyard is vinified to highlight it’s own signature identity; this blend harmonizes and intensifies the regional Santa Cruz Mountain character.

VINTAGE

2013 will go down as one of the earliest harvest in the history of Thomas Fogarty Winery. The vines responded to the drought like winter conditions and mild spring by budding out very early. Bloom began in early May in the Will’s Cabin Pinot Noir, a month earlier than the norm. We experienced a particularly windy May that was punctuated by a low pressure system that rolled though the last week of the month dropping almost a quarter-inch of rain. This severely lowered yields in some of our later flowering, and best, vineyards: Rapley Trail, Albutom and Portola Springs. Yields were also likely lower across the board due to the lack of winter rainfall the last two seasons. The majority of our vineyards were dry-farmed this year. This resulted in thicker skins, more tannin and great flavors, but likely less fruit - such is the trade off between quality and quantity in viticulture. Harvest began with the early ripening Swan Pinot Noir in Will’s Cabin on August 17 and, strangely, finished with Gewürztraminer on October 4.

APPELLATION: Santa Cruz Mountains

WINEGROWER: Nathan Kandler

ELEVATION /EXPOSURE: 400 - 2,600 Feet /Multiple

CLONE: Heritage and Dijon

SOILS: Shale, Sandstone

CLIMATE: Cool, Mountain, Maritime

FERMENTATION: Native primary + MLF

FINISHED ALCOHOL: 13.1%

ACID/PH: 5.8/3.5

ELEVAGE: 11 months French Oak, 20% New