2019 Holman Ranch Estate Vineyards & Winery, Pinot Noir, Kelly’s Press, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County.
These Holman Ranch have really turned it on in the last two vintage releases, 2018 and 2019, as seen in their set of estate Pinot Noirs, like this beautiful Kelly’s Press bottling, which I have tasted twice now and that very really impressed me with its depth, mouth feel and structure on the fresh and expressive red fruited medium bodied palate. This multi clone and transparent Pinot shows a delicious array of black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and blood orange fruits along with silky tannin and juicy acidity that holds things together, as well as pretty floral and mineral tones with subtle neutral oak notes. There’s a background of spice, sage, rose petals, delicate savory events from the use of partial whole cluster and cola bean accents that perfectly sets off the core flavors and adds complexity. The Kelly’s Press is Holman’s entry level Estate Pinot, but really delivers a lot of bang for the buck and is super with a wide range of cuisine choices and dishes, including grilled salmon and poultry.
The Holman Ranch Winery makes a very focused a range of wines, under the guidance of the father and son winemaking team Greg and Cris Vita, which demonstrate the unique characteristics of this hillside property in Carmel Valley, including its rocky soils and coastal climate. The rootstocks and the mix of California heritage and Dijon clones are carefully selected to make the most expressive and distinct wines, with this Kelly’s Press Pinot seeing the full range of seven clones, including Calera, Pommard, 828, 667, 777, 115 and Swan. The Ranch employs organic and sustainable farming practices, avoiding the use of any pesticides or herbicides, to preserve the environment and nature of the site and encourage small yields to enhance richness and depth here. The Holman Ranch Pinots sees stainless steel maceration and fermentation with carefully managed temperature control and extraction before being gently pressed, in this case with the Kelly’s Press, to well used French oak 228L barriques to age, maturing for 11 months before bottling. There’s a lot to like in the latest set of wines from Holman Ranch, with this one, an excellent value, being one to chase down!
($40 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive