Old Vine California Pinot Noir Vineyards: Santa Cruz Mountains
“For me, a vine seems to enter its prime around 25 to 30 years of age.
Young vines can certainly express terroir, but the expression is perhaps
not as strong, not as consistent and usually, there is something that falls
a little short on the texture front.”
Jeremy Seysses, Domaine Dujac
Ferrari Family Vineyard
Location: Corralitos
Owner: Tom Ferrari
Initial planting: uncertain - 1980s in stages, possibly as early as 1980
Acres: 2.5 - 3
Scion: DRC “La Tache” selection
Producers from this vineyard: Big Basin Vineyards, Lightpost Winery
This vineyard has gone through several name transitions from its original name Matteson to Ciradella,
then Woodruff Family and now Ferrari Family. When the Woodruff family rehabilitated the vineyard
after their acquisition, they kept all of the original vines. Current owner, Tom Ferrari, lives on the
property. Viticulturist Prudy Foxx has done some consulting for him.
Veteran Santa Cruz Mountains vintner, Jeff Emery, told me its first harvest was 1984 so it was
probably planted in 1980. The Big Basin Vineyards website states that the vines were planted over 40
years ago. When I reviewed the 2009 Arista Woodruff Vineyard Pinot Noir in 2011, the wine
information sheet stated the vineyard was planted in 1978. John Haeger says the vineyard was
developed in stages in the 1980s which is probably the most reliable information.
The vineyard is located in Aptos about three miles from the Pacific Ocean surrounded by centuries-old
redwood trees. Planted on a steep slope, it is dry-farmed and the vines are rooted in sandy loam
over base rock.
Currently, Lightpost Winery in Morgan Hill is one of two wineries (the other being Big Basin Vineyards)
sourcing the grapes from this vineyard. The 2018 Lightpost Winery Ferrari Vineyards Reserve
Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (163 cases, $69) is available at www.lightpostwinery.com. The
wine won Best of Show and 95 points at the San Diego International Wine Competition and rated 92
points and recommended as a Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast. The 2017 Big Basin Vineyards
Ferrari Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir is available through a mailing list at
www.bigbasinvineyards.com
2015 Big Basin Woodruff Family Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
13.0% alc., 80 cases, $65. 100%
whole cluster, native yeast primary fermentation, aged 15
months in French oak barrels and bottled unfined and
unfiltered.
·
Moderately light garnet color in the glass.
Engaging aromas of cherry, rose petal, burnt tobacco and
cardamom spice. Mouthwatering cherry core framed by
very fine tannins. Fresh and juicy, with impressive
harmony and some length on the cherry-fueled finish.
The tannins have largely resolved since last reviewed in
2018.
Score: 94
2017 Big Basin Ferrari Family Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
13.2% alc., 200 cases, $60. 100%
whole cluster native primary fermentation, and aged 17
months in French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and
unfiltered.
·
Moderate garnet color in the glass. The nose is
aloof but pleasant with aromas of black cherry, rose petal
and spice. Mid weight plus in style featuring darker cherry,
strawberry, raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavors. More
ripeness and intensity than the 2015 vintage. The tannins
are modest at this point and the finish is generously fruited
and lengthy. Still young and aromas haven't fully arrived,
but otherwise stellar. Sit on this one for a couple of years
for full enjoyment.
Score: 94
Legan Vineyard
Location: Corralitos
Owner: Tom Legan
Initial planting: 1979-1980 (upper hill)
Scion: Mount Eden
Producer from this vineyard: Arnot-Roberts
This vineyard was planted using cuttings from Mount Eden. These own-rooted vines were planted in
two phases: the upper hill in 1980 and the lower area in 1990. The hearty vines on this site cling to a
steep, eroding sandstone hillside at 1,200 feet elevation, surrounded by a dense forest of redwood
trees overlooking Monterey Bay. The original vines, planted with 6’ x 8’ spacing in deep sandy loam
soil, have been always dry farmed. Prudy Foxx is the current viticulturist farming the vineyard
organically.
The Monterey Bay acts as a natural air conditioner for onshore winds, cooling the Corralitos region
and allowing for a long, steady growing season.
Grapes are sourced by Arnot-Roberts (Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts who founded
their winery in 2001 in Healdsburg). The wines are allocated through a mailing list at
ww.arnotroberts.com and sold through various retail channels.
2018 Arnot-Roberts Legan Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
12.0% alc., 275 cases,
$60.
·
Moderate garnet color in the glass. Very floral nose
with added sweet wood bark and vegetative aromas. More
fruit-driven on the mid-weight palate, offering tart flavors of
strawberry, red and purple grape and spice, yet the savory
aspects largely override the fruit. The texture is like peach
fuzz with integrated filigree tannins that trail off on the
finish. A green note is still evident when tasted the
following day from a previously opened and re-corked
bottle.
Score: 88
Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyards Sourced by Arnot-Roberts
Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
Location: Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains in Saratoga
Owner: Peter Martin Ray
Initial planting:1979
Acres: 3
Scion: Mount Eden
Producer from this vineyard: Arnot-Roberts
Paul Masson left Burgundy and arrived in California in 1878 as a 19-year-old. He bought land in
Saratoga and planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at his “Mountain Winery” at La Cresta ranch using
budwood from Burgundy vines. Masson would be the first winegrower to import and plant Pinot Noir,
then use it successfully for his red table wines and “Champagne” sparkling wines. Martin Ray, who
was to become a legendary California vintner, lived nearby La Cresta ranch, was befriended by
Masson and worked in his winery and vineyards. (Ray was a redhead like me and assumed the
nickname of "Rusty" by friends and family as I did growing up) Ray bought Masson’s property and
took over the Paul Masson Champagne Company in 1936 at age 32, managing it and producing wine
there for seven years. The 60 acres at La Cresta contained a large block of Pinot Noir, along with
sizable blocks of Gamay Beaujolais and Chardonnay, and for many years this was the country's sole
authentic planting of Pinot Noir. Ray removed the Gamay, replaced it with a mix of varieties and
replaced old or diseased vines throughout the vineyard.
In 1936, Ray released the country's first 100% pure Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietals that were
priced at four times other California wines of the time. Dr Maynard Amerine, a famed enologist, was
asked to name the greatest Pinot Noir he had ever tasted and he replied, "A 1936 made by Martin
Ray.” Ray was a fanatical proponent of verifiable content labeling of wines and was single-minded in
his striving for wine quality at a time when there was little support for his vision.
In time, Masson, who died in 1940, advised Ray to plant vines at the top of the hill at what is now
Mount Eden and would become the site of the Martin Ray Winery. Ray also knew that soil drainage
would be better at the higher elevation. By the 1950s, the vines planted at Mount Eden using cuttings
from Masson's La Cresta vines and bench grafted onto rootstock at a local nursery were mature and
producing better wines than those from the old vineyards established by Masson. The Mount Eden
Vineyard is now of historical significance as many of today’s modern Pinot Noir plantings have been
established with genetic material taken from this vineyard (Mount Eden clone, UCD 37).
Paul Masson’s mountaintop vineyard, subsequently owned by Martin Ray, would become the Peter
Martin Ray Vineyard under the ownership of Peter Martin Ray, the adopted son of Martin, who
replanted the vineyard in 1979-1982. Peter lost the Martin Ray name to a separate company, now the
Martin Ray Winery based in the Russian River Valley but kept this vineyard parcel and sold grapes to
other winemakers. Peter Martin Ray is now retired and lives in Alaska. Frederic Ballario and Santa
Cruz Mountains legend Rick Anzalone manage the 13-acre the vineyard (photo below)
Organically farmed with no irrigation, the old, originally stake-trained vines cling to the extremely rocky
and depleted Franciscan Shale soils at 1,400 feet elevation. Vine density is 10’ x 10’. The vineyard is
adjacent to the hill that is planted to the historic Montebello-Ridge vineyards and overlooks Silicon
Valley. The site is highly exposed with nutrient-poor soils, so the vines struggle to produce meager
yields.
Grapes from this vineyard have been sourced by Arnot-Roberts, Ceritas Wines. Birichino Wines and
Jamie Motley Wines but the Pinot Noir is currently only sold to Arnot-Roberts:
www.arnotroberts.com.
Read more about the fascinating history of this vineyard at www.wineterroirs.com
Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
2018 Arnot-Roberts Peter Martin Ray Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
12.0% alc., 150 cases, $75.
·
Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. The savory nose
features aromas of underbrush, sawdust, rose petal and
deeply colored fruits. A robust, thickly-fruited wine offering
an intense stream of blueberry-pomegranate fruit with a
mild vegetative (green) undertone. Nicely balanced, with
delicate tannins and a long, lip-smacking finish. The wine
achieved more charm when tasted the following day from
a previously opened and re-corked bottle. Arnot-Roberts
seems intent on picking Pinot Noir at a lower Brix resulting
in a more savory, even slightly green character in the
finished Pinot Noir. This was much less evident in this wine
compared to the Legan Vineyard bottling even though the final ABV is the same.
Score: 92
Trout Gulch Vineyard
Location: Aptos
Owner: Richard Alfaro, lessor
Initial planting: 1980
Acres: 4.61
Scion: Mount Eden clone
Producer from this vineyard: Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery
The Turgeon family produced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this vineyard since 1987, but the
vineyard is now farmed by Richard Alfaro of Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery who took over the
lease. Richard farms the non-irrigated vineyard with organic methods.
The vineyard is located 3.5 miles from the coast at 800 feet elevation above the town of Aptos, tucked
into coastal redwoods. Soils are uplifted oceanic sand.
Ceritas had sourced Pinot Noir from this vineyard until Richard took over the lease. Currently, Richard
offers a 2017 Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery Trout Gulch Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains
Pinot Noir (275 cases, $45) available on the winery’s website at www.alfarowine.com
