2017 Joyce Wine Company, Pinot Noir, Tondre Grapefield, Santa Lucia Highlands.
The new releases of single vineyard Pinot Noir(s) are a stunning set of wines that will certainly turn a few heads, these are wines that put Russell Joyce into the limelight and firmly put his winery among the elite producers in the region, there’s a lot to admire by these 2017 Joyce wines, it’s a vintage that impresses for purity, delicacy and depth. The winemaking is clean and focused putting a primary goal on expressing each site’s fruit, allowing this beautiful vintage to shine through, Russell and team used only used French oak and a varyingly amount of whole cluster to add vibrancy, complexity and intensity, while the wines still have a ripe and luxurious mouth feel and elegant flavors. Each single vineyard (Pinot Noir) are individually crafted to show their best and their unique personality, each will have their own set of fans, but that said this are all fantastic and beautifully made wines. This Tondre Grapefield 2017 Pinot Noir is from the Santa Lucia Highlands, with vines set on sandy loams and includes Pommard clone, it was partial whole cluster, about 30%, and the wine is full of nervy energy, subtle spices and layered fruit as well as silky and graceful texture, all of which makes for a gorgeous and exciting Pinot Noir that raises the game for this winery and especially for this vineyard. In the past I have been critical of this site, but I now see the realized potential more clearly, I have enjoyed Morgan’s and Sonnet’s versions, though I am in awe of this new 2017 from Joyce with it’s black cherry, plum, raspberry and strawberry fruit which pumps out in a satiny and seamless flow, along with those stem influenced elements of vitality and spice as well as mineral tones, floral notes and lifting fresh acidity. The fruit and texture is sexy and the serious verve and faint savory herbal edginess heightens the whole experience in this medium bodied ruby/garnet hued Pinot Noir, this wine delivers it’s promise from it’s lightly perfumed bouquet of rose petal, red fruits along with pepper and tea spices to it’s lingering brightness of flavors and refined wood treatment, it’s an enthusiast’s wine that should only get more interesting and entertaining over the next 3 to 5 years.
($45 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
