Saxon Brown Garys' Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 Red Wine

Saxon Brown Garys' Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 

750 ml

95 pts. Jeb Dunnuck:

"Pouring a ruby red color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is lifted with cardamom spice, bright red berries, and a hint of violets. Medium-bodied and bright, it’s vibrant and mouthwatering, with a clean, vertical feel. This gorgeous wine is going to drink well over the next 10 -12 years."

95 pts. James Suckling:

"This ripe, structured, brilliant wine is laced with significant tannins and fresh-tasting acidity that support tart cherries, black cherries, cranberries and pomegranates on the palate. So vivid, lively and deep. A dramatic difference from winemaker Jeff Gaffner’s Sonoma Coast offerings. Full-bodied and age-worthy. Best from 2028."

What do you get when you combine a first-class vineyard with a first-class winemaker? Awesomeness, that's what! Saxon Brown's winemaker/owner Jeff Gaffner worked wonders with this famous vineyard. The wine is full-bodied and earthy like most SLH Pinots, but not over-the-top bold - it's more restrained than many from this region. Gaffner likes the windy conditions found at Garys' vineyard; the wind causes the grapes to develop thick skins, which results in significant tannins in the wine. That's why this Pinot will last such a LONG time! Enjoy it now, but also put some away for the future! – Wine Factor

FROM THE WINERY

Vineyard:

The crown jewel of Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands growing region, the Garys’ Vineyard is named for rock star growers Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni, lifelong friends who planted the site in 1997. Named “one of the most famous vineyards in California” by Lettie Teague of the Wall Street Journal, the vineyard sits on 50 hill-side acres and is planted to 46 acres of Pinot Noir and 4 acres of Syrah. Daily gusts from the nearby Monterey Bay along with well-drained Arroyo Seco soils and some of the most meticulous vineyard management we’ve ever seen combine to form the ideal terroir for producing world class Pinot Noir noted for its depth, complexity and structure. A near ideal growing season in 2021 that saw mild weather and continued drought stress, amplified the site’s renowned fruit concentration and complex structure.

Winemaking: 

All Saxon Brown Pinot Noirs are treated to the same winemaking protocols to maximize the individual character of each site. In keeping with that, we picked our Garys’ Vineyard fruit at night, and transported the fruit by dawn to the winery where it was de-stemmed into small open-top tanks for cold soak at 45F. After three days, the must was allowed to warm and begin fermentation. At this point, we added a select strain of red Burgundian yeast and began thrice daily punch downs. When primary fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed to new French oak barrels for 17 months, where it completed malolactic fermentation and settled. Once ready, the wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Tasting Notes: 

Our 2021 Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir is a strikingly expressive wine, boasting the seductive dark fruit and focused structure that this storied vineyard is known for. Fresh blueberry compote, black cherry and raspberry form the wine’s juicy core with hints of brown spice and sweet pipe tobacco adding dimension. On the palate, the mouthfilling richness finds tension from bright acidity that lifts and enlivens the long berry-tinged finish. Enjoy upon release or hold for up to 15 years.

Case Production: 194 cases

Harvest Date: September 14, 2021

Brix at Harvest: 24.1

Clone: Pisoni Selection

Aging: 17mos, 50% new French oak

Bottled: March 10, 2023

TA: 0.63

pH: 3.34

Alc: 14.2%