2012 Alfaro Family Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Trout Gulch Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Richard Alfaro makes a great lineup of estate and single vineyard wines, his Pinot Noir lineup includes his estate, the Lindsay Paige Vineyard, Lester Family Deer Park, the Garys’ Vineyard from the famed vineyard cur in the Santa Lucia Highlands, the Schultze Family Vineyard from Windy Oaks Estate just down the way from the Alfaro estate, and this gorgeous Trout Gulch Vineyard Pinot, a vineyard Alfaro started working with a few years back and a site that is getting a lot of attention with it’s old vine Pommard and Martini clone Pinot Noir on a mostly south facing slope above Aptos in the south Santa Cruz Mountains. Only 500 cases were made of this opulent and richly favored wine, it saw 12 months in French oak barrels, of which 20% were new and it comes in at 13.8% alcohol by volume, it is well crafted with wonderful overall harmony, focus, vigor and deft balance with juicy acidity and firm, but polish tannins. The new Trout Gulch release reminds me of Penner-Ash or Beaux Freres in some ways, it has an Oregon way about it, though it certainly shows it’s own sense of place and site, this is unique stuff. The mouth feel is lush and there is a ray of black, blue and red fruits, earthy tones, spice and nice sweet toasty wood notes. The 2012 Alfaro Trout Gulch Pinot starts with a mix of floral and smoky elements with dense black raspberry, blueberry, liqueur dipped cherry, wild strawberry and plum fruits with a Burgundy like earthy, leafy/tea, and loamy background along with saline, cedar and anise. A lingering finish with violets, cola/mocha and cherry aftertaste, look for a good drinking window on this delicious Pinot, but best from 2014 to 2018, all these Alfaro Pinots are stunning in the 2012 vintage, look for them!
($35 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive