Richard Alfaro Scores Big with Santa Cruz Mountains Chard & Pinot
Nov.24th Carmel, Ca
I just finished tasting wines from Richard’s great line up of wines, both under the Alfaro Family and Martin Alfaro labels. His Santa Cruz wines are world class and full of rich and exotic flavors, but remain amazingly faithful to Burgundy. He poured the 2006 Central Coast Chardonnay, his own 2006 Lindsay-Page Chard, the 2004 Schultze Family Vineyard Pinot, the 2005 Lindsay-Page Pinot and the yet to be released 2006 Deer Park Pinot with all scoring plus 90 Points!
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2006 Martin Alfaro Chardonnay Central Coast
This is a great Chard that is both affordable and filled with flavor. The fruit comes from solid vineyards including Sleepy Hollow and delivers big time, with intense fruit and lovely toasty oak notes. There is apple, pear, peach, pineapple and fig fruit and creamy layers. This wine tastes full and thick, but has nice zesty spice and is lively through out. ($18 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive
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2006 Alfaro Family Chardonnay Lindsay-Page Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is a big full bore Chardonnay that is ultra rich and incredibly deep and focused with lovely flavors and a long lush finish. Hazelnuts and white flowers lead to pure pear and apple fruit, with touches of clove, mineral, honey and vanilla. This wine is still a month or so away from release, but it is well on its way to be a classic. (Due to be released in Jan. 2008) A little more than a hundred cases of this wine is heading to market, so get on it now! ($30 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
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2005 Alfaro Family Pinot Noir Lindsay-Page Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
This is a beautiful and darkly rich Pinot that has intense ripe fruit and exotic spiciness that is lush with plumy sweet flavors and smoky layers. Raspberry, cherry and candied cranberry burst out in this Pinot and vanilla mocha linger on the finish. This is a wild ride to be sure, but it is so good and it just seems to get better each time I try it. ($40 Est.) 92 points, grapelive
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2006 Martin Alfaro Pinot Noir Deer Park Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains (Pre-Release Sample)
This wine will be released in December 2007 and I can hardly wait to buy it myself that is my way of putting my money where my mouth is. The potential is real that this will be an awesome wine and like I said it is something I’m going to bet on. It is all ready to enjoy now, but there is a lot more to come. This wine is tangy fresh, but it has heady perfume and clear focus with soft and pretty flavors that just stay with you a long time. There is lots of classic cherry, plum and currant fruit and earth, spice and mineral notes. ($35-38 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
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2004 Martin Alfaro Pinot Noir Schultze Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains (Library Selection)
This is a Burgundy-like gem of a Pinot that is sensual and earthy with delicate layers and subtle intensity. It starts with rose petal, dried wild flowers and red fruits on the nose with lush cherry and plum fruit. There is vigor and depth as well, but it comes in smooth layers that have a sense of terroir inter woven. There is mineral, mushroom and spice mixed with each layer and it finishes long and tangy. ($35-38 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
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*Some of these wines are available at:
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