There’s a lot shaking in the Santa Cruz Mountains besides Pinot these days. This was evident at a trade tasting held in Palo Alto early last month. Although the sheer volume of Pinots could have kept fans busy swirling and sniffing for hours, the event showcased a diverse range of wines from brand new and venerated wineries alike, helping to attract a diehard cadre of trade buyers. The event was a welcome relief from the persistent showers and accompanying misery that has relentlessly plagued much of California for what seems like months.

There were at least 200 wines from 60 winemakers at this event, which provided lots to choose from, and plenty to ignore. Among those that caught my attention were a number of wines from well established Santa Cruz wineries such as Ahlgren Vineyard, Storrs, Clos Tita, Burrell School, Muccigrosso, Silver Mountain Vineyards and Bargetto.

Despite, the variety of wines offered at the event, Pinot Noir still accounted for a disproportionate share of the Santa Cruz Mountain wines that inspired me to write notes.

Amongst the wines that drew my attention was the 2003 Muccigrosso Pinot Noir. It is a thing of beauty. The wine opens with a graceful and charming Pinot nose with aromas of sweet raspberries. It looks and tastes like raspberry velvet, with sumptuously juicy ripe white peaches and dripping sweet plums. This gorgeous wine ($378/case from the winery) has delightful touches of cinnamon and nutmeg, with nicely balanced acids and soft tannins. This wine proved to be another stellar effort by winemaker Jacob Kaufman. But this should come as no surprise, since Jacob Kaufman, winemaker at Muccigrosso, knows a few things about sourcing great fruit. The demise of many grape grower contracts due to the internal tsunami that shook David Bruce Winery earlier this century, became the inspiration for many of the finer wines we now can enjoy throughout the appellation, thanks to Jacob’ six years at David Bruce, where he developed many relationships with growers, and a respect for their viticultural practices. So, as they say, when one door closes, another door opens. Muccigrosso has snagged several of these contracts to create a refreshingly win-win situation, perhaps all too rare in this increasingly competitive industry. Kaufman takes the carefully nurtured fruit and beautifully showcases it in these masterfully crafted wines. It’s as though a graceful wood nymph has been ever so tastefully veiled in gossamer. Light touch is the watchword here.

Speaking of the David Bruce influence, Silver Mountain Vineyard’s winemaker/owner Jerold O’Brien turns out some righteous estate Chardonnay and a rafter of fine Pinots, with some consulting help from ‘Pinot Star’ Tony Craig, presently at Savannah-Chanelle, and who also has his own Sonnet Wine Cellars label. For those who don’t know, Tony was the spruce behind the Bruce: that is, he was the magic ingredient that made David Bruce wines so special for all the times they were special. He has been at Savannah-Chanelle for a few years now, and has not only brought those wines up to exemplary status, but has also achieved greatness for Silver Mountain and Sonnet. I was particularly impressed by two of Silver Mountain’s Pinots. One sourced fruits from Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands, and the other a 2003 Silver Mountain Vineyards, Miller Hill Pinot Noir ($36 bottle, available from the winery), sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. Yo!! The nose of this wine goes right to your baking spice sweet spot, with aromas of ginger and nutmeg, ripe plum and cedar. And then, it will waft into a forest floor with dark cola notes. And that’s just the nose! On the palate, wonderful flavors of dark plum, mission figs and elderberry, with a perfect balance of acid, tannin and cardamom plus baking spice, and a good deal of sweet oak. This is a nicely interwoven wine that will work perfectly with spicy New Mexican pork, green chili and jalapeno chicken, and orange-chipotle duck dishes.

Other Pinot Noirs that had my nose on high alert included:

2003 Clos Tita, Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Pinot Noir ($36). This wine exhibits a rich, Burgundian nose of sweet, rich earth, gorgeously rich dried cherries and plums, with a most intriguing hint of cedar. Aged in 75% new French oak for two years, this wine is ever so “almost ready,” but so worthy of another year of patient aging. OK, go ahead and drink it now, but before you do, pour the wine into a lovely wide-bottomed decanter, accompany it with a rack of lamb covered in rosemary and juniper, and served with a spicy currant and dried apricot chutney, and finally complete the meal with a warm spinach and feta salad, drenched with balsamic, olive oil and toasted garlic.

The 2002 Burrell School Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir – Reserve, “Principal’s Choice” ($42) proved to be a wonderfully woven blend of three different, but similar, vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This bold but elegant Pinot makes a statement. It declares its Burgundian allegiance with bright, aggressive cherry, plum and elderberry flavors, framed by dark licorice, sandalwood and baking spices on the finish. This wine will simply not give up. To use the word “finish” would be premature, as it persists, in a very welcome way, long, long after most Pinots would have put on their coats, hats and gloves, and made their way to the waiting limo.

A pleasant surprise was the 2004 Bargetto, Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($24). Bargetto usually has lots of wines to offer, some not particularly distinctive, but is making some more interesting wines of late. This wine has a pretty Pinot nose with cherries and anise, then peaches and good acid on the palate. A blend of three clones of Pinot Noir: Dijon, Pommard and Martini. The grapes were grown at Regan Estate Vineyards above Corralitos. This wine is soft, light and ready to enjoy now: a good value.

Thankfully the event wasn’t all about Pinot Noir. In fact some venerable old veterans such as Ahlgren Vineyard showcased some stylish wines crafted from Bordeaux varietals. Valerie and Dexter Ahlgren are institutions in this area. Their eclectic home and vineyard, established in 1976 outside of Boulder Creek, are for sale. For those who fantasize about owning a charming, solar-friendly and secluded mountainside vineyard property in an area where irrigation is never an issue, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. The lucky buyer will perhaps inherit some gems including the 2000 Ahlgren Vineyard, Bates Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is typical of wines produced from this classic Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard. It has a lean, herbaceous nose and palate, accompanied by plenty of leathery, dark cherry-tobacco flavors, and firm, structured tannins that benefit from aging. This wine is showing well now, with balance and finesse, and pleasant hints of sage and peppers.

Speaking of Bordeaux, Clos Tita winemaker Dave Estrada has a deep appreciation for Old World style wines, and tends to take a “fruit backward” approach, for lack of a better way to describe them. The fruit is always there, but it is like taking a bite of toast where the jam has not been spread to the edges. With Dave’s wines, you get the yeasty, substantively earthy flavors first, and then the fruit unfolds. This tighter, more restrained style is not meant to please the lazy “California palate,” but will appeal to connoisseurs of well-structured wine intended to be consumed with serious food. As is the case, with his 2003 “Gironde” Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot. This blend spent 2 years in 50% new French oak. It is certainly in its youth, but displays stout Bordeaux character, from the leathery and cedary nose to the dark cherry, chewy, peppery palate, framed by very firm tannins. Good balance, high pepper quotient (in the good sense). This is a very solid example of the remarkable Bordeaux blends coming out of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. Perfect for a prime rib roast with horseradish and Yorkshire pudding.

As usual, Burrell School Vineyards and Winery had quite the lineup of well-schooled wines from this five thousand case producer of mostly estate wines from high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Their 2003 Pichon Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($40) was alluring, with its perfumey nose with a hint of sandalwood. On the palate, it was taut, sinewy and ready to take on any cuisine you can dream up. Refreshing acidity, smooth tannins, bright raspberry fruit, white pepper and a cooling eucalyptus finish make this a wine that belongs on any restaurant wine list. Ageing in American oak, 50% new, gives this wine a pleasant, sweet tobacco flourish.

And this wasn’t it. At this tasting, the Santa Cruz Mountains proved a versatile bunch. A number of wonderful Chardonnays were poured including two from Storrs Winery. Winemakers Steve and Pamela Storrs are legends in these parts. They’ve been whipping out some fine Chardonnays over the years, and have a well-deserved reputation for getting a really consistent result out of the vineyards from which they’ve been sourcing fruit from. Among my favorites were there 2004 Christie Vineyard Chardonnay. This wine has a wonderful nose of ripe pears, honeysuckle and vanilla, with lots of luscious pineapple on the palate followed by some tropical mango-richness on the finish. A fairly oak-drenched wine overall, but the fruit from this mountain vineyard is bright enough to shine through the toasty vanilla. Another wonderful example was their 2004 Ben Lomond Mountain Chardonnay. There is lemon curd and vanilla on the nose. This wine has all the flavors of an incredibly rich, creamy and lush lemon cream pie, complete with buttery crust. My friend Molly makes a Shaker Lemon Pie that tastes like this wine, and it is a thing of beauty that always makes me smile. On the finish is a hint of tangy tangerine. Perhaps one of the finest Chardonnays made from the tiny but noteworthy Ben Lomond Mountain appellation. A delightful wine that never ceases to amaze with its complexity and dexterity.

And if that weren’t enough, a number of stylish Rhone and Italian blends topped off the event. Amongst my favorites were:

2004 Burrell School Vineyards, Pichon Vineyard Syrah. One teensy whiff of this Syrah and this one smacks you square in the snooker with its very Rhone-like aromas of earth, tack, leather, smoked meat and bacon. On the palate, this wine has bold, meaty flavors, and green olive accents: it’s kind of like drinking a ham on pumpernickel sandwich with olive tapenade. Very good acidity, no-nonsense flavors, and terrific balance. A totally stand-up wine. Like Tom Petty, it won’t back down. Bears repeating: IT WON’T BACK DOWN!

2003 Storrs, Two Creek Rhone Blend. This combo of Carignane, Grenache and Mourvedre is a Wow! The aromas are bright with cherries and berries, and the pungent nose gives way to equally intense flavors of tutti-frutti fruit punch, lively wild red raspberry flourishes and dark plum undercurrents. The persistent acidity gives this wine a wonderful backbone. Yep, I do love blends. Keep ‘em coming.

2000 Bargetto, La Vita ($50). La Vita ("the life" in Italian), is a soulful blend of 52% Dolcetto, 32% Nebbiolo and 16% Refosco. This somewhat austere and tight wine has many wonderful secrets waiting in store. The tannins are impressively stout, but the finish is redolent of roses and gardenias, and it simply goes on forever, like the memory of a kiss in a summer garden on a summer night, with a full moon…well, you get the idea. This one is worth coming back to in a year or so. Aged for two and one half years in oak barrels and puncheons and then aged for an additional two years in the bottle prior to release. $50.

But it’s not all about still wines…

You can always count on Equinox’s master winemaker and champagne crafter Barry Jackson to add some bubbles to every trade tasting. His dry, yeasty Champagnes are just the thing to cleanse the palate of heavy reds. After years of searching for a proper place to make, pour and sell his champagnes, Barry is happy to announce that he will be opening to the public for tasting on Swift Street in Santa Cruz, probably sometime in June. He joins a growing number of tasting rooms in this north end of Santa Cruz neighborhood, including Pelican Ranch and Alexander Cellars. Who knows? This could finally put Santa Cruz on the winetasting map!

Last Drop: Just had to squeeze this in…

The Still: Where wayward wines meet their redemption
Always good for an attention-getter is Alexander Cellars, which happens to also be the home of Sarticious Distillery on Swift Street in Santa Cruz. Winemaker and distiller Jeff Alexander has a germ-killing gin under the Sarticious label that will wipe your palate clean of anything, including garlic. Samples of this aromatic wonder were available at the trade tasting for those looking for something a little more potent than the average high alcohol Zin. Which, by the way, is not something Jeff likes. In contrast, his Zinfandels are balanced and understated. His Chardonnay, lush and lovely, and of course, sold out. After missing a vintage or two due to weather issues and human error, last year brought another faux pax that has actually resulted in more work for the still operator. It seems that an unwitting soul topped off fermenting Chardonnay barrels with Pinot Noir. Go figure. Natural as it is to group them together as Burgundian cousins, it has never proven a popular blend, except perhaps in France, where it would not surprise me to learn that Pinot gets juiced with Chard. Rumor has it that sometime this summer, if all goes well in distillation heaven, we are going to be treated to a potentially diabolical brandy made from this wayward accident in the wine cellar. As my good friend Barry Jackson says, “I haven’t met much that can’t be fixed in a still!”

~ Laura Ness, Santa Cruz Mountains Editor


To comment on Laura Ness’ writings and thoughts, contact her at l.ness@appellationamerica.com