2013 Alfaro Family Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains.
This is a stunning and wonderfully textured Pinot Noir from the Alfaro family Vineyards and is one of the best values in California, period! 2013 is a fantastic vintage for Richard Alfaro’s Santa Cruz Mountains estate, the Pinots show amazing detail, beautiful fruit and with almost perfect balance with lifting acidity, lower alcohol, but with deep rich character and style. I am a huge fan of Richard’s wines and his grapes, these are wines that deserve much praise and attention, in the last few years Richard has found fans in the industry, he now sells fruit to a few superstar wineries, these include Arnot-Roberts, Big Basin and Ceritas, so now is a good time to discover this estate near Corralitos. The estate 2013 Alfaro Family Vineyards Pinot is a bright ruby color in the glass, it is nicely perfumed with violets, roses and fresh black raspberry leading the way and the palate is bursting with bing cherry, dusty plum, tangy currant and sweet smoky notes, black tea, cedar, cinnamon, anise and mineral/flinty elements along with lingering blueberry, vanilla and earthy notes. The 2013 saw about 20% new French oak and was aged about 17 months in barrel, allowing full flavors to develop and this beauty is showing fantastic, it is exciting, vibrant and packed with ripe layers highlighting the cool climate hang-time. I love the vivid juicy nature, this is a well judged and deftly crafted wine with hidden silken tannin, lush mouth feel and is thrilling from start to finish. All of Alfaro’s Pinots in 2013 are looking good, and they should age brilliantly, as well as this one you should check out his other estate offerings, the Lindsay Paige, The Mary Katherine (Organic) and the Trout Gulch. Drink the 2013 Estate bottling over the next 3 to 5 years, though I am convinced the 2013 with go a decade or more, this is tasty and well made stuff, best from 2015 to 2022.
($35 Est.) 93+ Points, grapelive