2017 Drew, Pinot Noir, Estate Field Selections, Mendocino Ridge.
Some of these Drew Estate bottlings really need some time to fully develop, as this garnet hued and medium bodied 2017 Estate Field Selections has done with majestic effect, showing off a deep array of mature dark fruits leaning on black cherry, bramble berry, plum, currant and reduced strawberry, along with smoky graphite, woodsy notes, wilted rose, mineral tones, orange tea and subtle earthiness. I was surprised how fresh in detail and lively it was, and while still firmly structured it opened up nicely and was very rewarding, a touch savory and generous with food, drinking well for hours without losing its precision or vitality. While the 2017 vintage won’t be considered a great vintage in California, which saw some spiky heat and non perfect conditions, some places managed top notch stuff, and Drew put out some gems that are performing fabulously right now. The Drew Estate Ranch, sitting on the far western coastal edge of the Mendocino Ridge, west of the Anderson Valley, on oceanic sedimentary deposits and gravelly loam soils, up at 1,250 plus feet above sea level and just 3.3 miles from the Pacific, is the coolest sites in the region. Blessed with a long growing season and heightened intensity, the estate wines are some of the most brilliant Pinot Noirs in California, as I’ve been saying for years and I highly recommend the current releases here at Drew.
This Estate Field Selections Pinot Noir, which is all organically farmed, no easy task this close to the ocean, was crafted using traditional minimalist winemaking techniques, with winemaker Jason Drew employing typically about 40% whole cluster and native/natural yeasts. After maceration and fermentation the top wines here are then aged about 12 months in barrel, with just about 20% new French oak used, with the remaining wine seeing 80% used wood, coming in usually at a very Burgundy like 13% natural alcohol, and even more impressive given the wines palate impact, complexity and depth. As I’ve noted before, Drew’s field selection estate vines include a series of interesting Pinot Noir clones, but this wine has traditionally been primarily Pommard, 667 and Mt. Eden clones, which add to the wines distinctive charm, and this site’s rocky underpinning has created the condition, along with the over ground influences, that makes for a special California terroir which makes these Drew estate wines sing a sirens song. Again, as I have been saying for more than a few years now, Jason’s wines are some of the very best in the state, they without question offer some of the greatest value for the quality in Pinot Noir and Syrah period! That said, in recent years, the Chardonnay here is reaching elite levels as well and I would not overlook anything in the Drew lineup these days and I especially look for forward to trying the new Gamay.
($70 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive