Rebecca Green Birdsall, proprietor, of Black Kite ·
The Santa Lucia mountain range overlooks the Salinas River Valley. Near enough to Monterey Bay to get its fog and ocean breezes, the vines enjoy morning sunshine and grapes have a long, gentle ripening. The result is wines with intense flavors.
This AVA has a reputation for intensely flavored Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and other Burgundy varieties. Here are some of the highlights from a recent Santa Lucia Highlands tasting in San Francisco. These wines, worth searching for, are all available direct from the winery.
It’s almost impossible to talk about this region without mentioning the Pisoni family. Grapes from their vineyards – Pisoni, Gary’s, Soberanes – are found in many fine wines. The family makes some spectacular wines, too. Pisoni Estate’s 2013 Lucy Rose of Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, is pink, young and drinkable now. It has flavor of strawberry, spice, sour cherry and a touch of floral. I enjoyed the citrus, peachy and melon flavors, too. 14.1 percent alcohol. $18 for the 375 ml bottle. One dollar from each bottle sold goes to breast cancer research. Visit pisonivineyards.com.
Hawks View Cellars featured its 2011 Syrah Cellar Series: Gary’s Vineyard. Although the winery is located in Oregon, grapes for this premium syrah are picked at 6 a.m. in Santa Lucia Highlands’ famous Gary’s vineyard, and trucked to Oregon for crushing before dinnertime. Co-founder A. J. Kemp is proud of the product. The wine is a dense inky red in color, and aroma of crushed blueberries and raspberries predominates. This Syrah is lush and intense, with soft fruit, fine tannins, a velvety texture in the mouth and a long finish. Only 180 cases were made. 14.5 percent alcohol. $45 by the bottle. Visit hawksviewcellars.com.
Pelerin’s 2010 Les Tournesols (French for sunflowers) is a Viognier/Roussanne blend with a flavor of mango and Asian pear, a hint of honey and a dash of licorice. It is well balanced, rich, and from the Viognier portion (58 percent) there is a component of fresh cut white peach. 14.3 percent alcohol. $30 for the bottle. Visit pelerinwines.com.
Mer Soleil’s 2006 Late Dessert Wine is primarily Viognier, and has the concentrated, nectar-like sweetness we love so much in a dessert wine. Surprisingly, it is only 10.4 percent alcohol. $30 for the 375 ml bottle. Visit wagnerfamilyofwine.com.
For Black Kite’s 2012 Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard, the winery obtained grapes from Soberanes, a Pisoni vineyard. My first aroma and flavor impression was of apricot, but there also is honeydew melon, apple and toasted marshmallow. It has a rich finish, nice acidity and a hint of minerality. 14.5 percent alcohol. $45 by the bottle. Visit blackkitecellars.com.
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