Roar, Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County, California, USA 2024

This is a blend of five vineyards they farm and the Pisoni estate; 7 different clones comprise this wine. It’s about 15% single vineyard material that goes back into this wine. Gary’s grandfather farmed in 1907, it was a dairy farm, then row crops in the 1950s, and then planted vines in the mid-1990s. These are among the oldest vines here now. This sees 50% new French oak; it’s fully destemmed, inoculated with commercial yeast, and it stays on the lees for 10 months. The Pisoni clone is the bedrock of this wine. Fleshy and ripe, with boysenberries, Christmas spice and black plums. Juicy, black-fruited, and a wine that’s about the broader appellation. There is a touch of heat here on the finish that nods to the nearly 15% abv.