“Musicians are servants to other people’s emotions, giving folks pleasure. With our family of wines, we strive to create something sensual, like music, which brings joy and inspiration and is an artistic statement of our vineyard.”
- Steve McIntyre
M c|I ntyre
vineyards
The Collector Level $140
Let us help you explore your palate. 6 bottles shipped in the Spring and Fall. A choice selection of 3 vintages at a 20% savings.
The Connoisseur Level $280
For true McIntyre aficionados! 12 bottles shipped twice a year of uniquely selected vintages. Enjoy a generous 25% savings on these wines before their public distribution.
The Cellar Level $70
Perfect for the casual enjoyment of great wine. You will receive 3 bottles each Spring and Fall of our latest and greatest wines at a 15% savings.
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2010 Estate Chardonnay Bottle
$28
2010 Estate Chardonnay Case
$336
This youthful Chardonnay projects hints of hazel nut, lime, nectarine and acacia aromas that will only intensify with age. A ripe mouth feel with silky texture complements a lingering firm, toasty, mineral filled finish. The flavor profile represents the best this appellation has to offer and we are proud to offer this artisan wine for your enjoyment!
The grapes for this hand crafted wine were harvested and sorted on October 17, 2010 from our Estate Vineyard, McIntyre Vineyard, located on Sanchez Road near Gonzales in the coveted Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation. This block of Dijon clone 96 and 76 Chardonnay on 1103P rootstock was planted in 2000 on an 8 X 6 row / vine spacing. The soil is Chualar series fine sandy loam which is the predominant soil in the Highlands Appellation. The trellis system consists of a bi-lateral cordon, spur pruned, vertically shoot positioned trellis averaging 5-6 shoots per foot of cordon.
The grapes were transported in half ton bins in a refrigerated truck to Copain Winery in Santa Rosa where winemaker Byron Kosuge supervised the artisan winemaking process. The chilled grapes were meticulously sorted and carefully whole cluster pressed. The juice was fermented in new Siruge French oak barrels for at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It was aged in barrel for 8 months and underwent malolactic fermentation prior to bottling in August of 2011
Title: 2010 Estate Chardonnay - Santa Lucia Highlands
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands
Vineyard: Home Estate
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 14.53%
Total Acid: 0.69 grmas/100ml
PH: 3.40
Cases Produced: 290
Winery Retail: $28
Release Date: Winter 2010
Owner / Grower: Steve McIntyre
Winemakers: Steve McIntyre and Byron Kosuge
Notes:
Sustainably Farmed per CCVT protocols
Native yeasts fermentation
Oldest Chardonnay plantings in the Santa Lucia Highlands
2009 Estate Pinot Noir
$38
2009 Estate Pinot Noir Case
$456
The 2009 season was remarkable for its consistency and idyllic weather conditions. While there never seems to be a perfect growing season this vintage and the 2007 vintage come pretty close. There were no extremes; the climate was neither too cold nor to warm and growing conditions during bloom were ideal for proper berry fertilization, facilitating uniform berry maturity at harvest.
The results of Mother Natures handy work are fully expressed in this opulent wine. Subtle and complex, this Pinot provides plenty of ripe strawberry and black cherry notes with earthy undertones of fragrant sorrel mushrooms and sage. The supple tannin structure bodes well for this wines longevity and helps to define a lingering finish that is so typical of Santa Lucia Highlands appellated wines.
This wine is predominately Dijon clone 777 and was produced using our typical minimalistic winemaking protocol, including the use of wild, indigenous strains of yeast and malolactic bacteria. Great care was taken to insure that everything that nature downloaded into the grape was extracted for your pleasure and enjoyment!
Title: 2009 Estate Pinot Noir - Santa Lucia Highlands
Vineyard: Estate
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Clones: 777 & 115
Harvest Brix: 24.6
Total Acidity: 6.2 g/L
PH: 3.74
Alcohol: 14.2%
Vintage: 2009
Cases Produced: 248
Winery Retail: $38
Release Date: September, 2011
Winemakers: Byron Kosuge
2009 K-3 Pinot
$46
2009 K-3 Pinot Case
$552
92 Points - International Wine Review
"This is quintessential Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir with bold, dark red cherry fruit, earth, toasted oak, and savory herbs showing on the nose and densely flavored palate. The wine is beautifully balanced, well structured, firmly tannic, and delicious."
A couple of years ago I decided to push the envelope and try farming a portion of the McIntyre Pinot Noir at extremely low yields. Even though the natural tendency of the site is to crop at around 3 tons to the acre, I wondered what would happen if we went even lower. The McIntyre vineyard ripens pretty late for the Highlands so I was not worried about accelerating the ripening; rather I wanted to see whether old world style yields would make a difference. So we thinned every shoot to one clusterthe norm is twoharvested that fruit separately about a week earlier than the rest, fermented it in a separate batch and then waited. In the winter, we tasted through all the lots and it was apparent right away that the one cluster per shoot treatment yielded wine not necessarily of higher ripeness (the finished alcohol was virtually identical to the rest of the vineyard) but wine of greater richness and complexitysomewhat surprisingly, it was not that the wine was more intense, but that it was more completeas if all the stuff that makes McIntyre vineyard into a good place to grow Pinot Noir had been concentrated.
You can probably guess what happened nextall of us were sufficiently impressed with the wine that immediately the idea of a small separate bottling was hatched. There are only four barrels of this wineI cherry picked the best barrels from the low yielding lot and came up with this wine.
One of the things I like best about Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is that it can be rich and big but perfumed and lively also. The kind of wine that invites another sip. And another. This wine is the closest weve come so far to truly capturing the best of the vineyard and the highlands. Each year, we plan on sharing our experiments with special, small lot bottlingsort of as a window into the mind of the winegrower and winemaker. We hope these wines will be both enjoyable and maybe a little enlightening too!
Title: 2009 Estate Block K-3 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinor Noir Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands
Alcohol: 14.1%
Cases Produced: 100
Winery Retail: $46
Release Date: Fall 2011
Winemaker: Byron Kosuge
"In this brilliant Estate Chardonnay from McIntyre, the pale yellow green hue promises and delivers a bright, breezy springtime experience in every glass. Aromas of kiwi, lime, honeysuckle and gardenia, beckon, introducing very bright green apple, Meyer lemon, honeydew, fresh pineapple and guava flavors that interplay nicely with a nutty chorus of pistachios and almonds. This is an energetic, playful wine that doesnt take itself too seriously, yet works delightfully with tangy shrimp and almond coleslaw, Treviso, frisee and arugula salad with fried leeks and citrus dressing, or a simple chicken, apple and macadamia salad with gorgonzola."
- Laura Ness aka "Her Vineness"
2009 was the year of experimentation for McIntyre vineyards. An old boss of mine once said, “why think when you can experiment?” I would like to believe that a fair bit of thought goes into the experiments I perform but there is also always an element of throwing it at the wall to see what sticks too.
We subjected this Chardonnay to multiple treatments. First, we thinned the vines to one cluster per shoot as we do this most years for a portion of the grapes, rather than the more typical two clusters per shoot, thereby reducing the yield per plant by about half. Second, when the grapes came into the winery I pressed some of the clusters in their entirety, dumping them directly into the press out of the picking bins. Third, the remaining fruit was destemmed and then put into the press.
The idea behind this was to see what removing the stems and also giving the juice a little bit of skin contact by breaking open the berries in the destemmer would do to the flavor and texture of the wine. The result of these different techniques was pretty dramatic. The wine has the usual bright acidity that is the hallmark of this vineyard, but in addition to that there is a minerality and breadth on the palate that we have not achieved until this year. There is citrus and other yellow fruits, and a subtle flintiness that adds depth and interest. It turned out quite well, I think!
Title: 2009 Estate Chardonnay - Santa Lucia Highlands
Cases Produced: 320
2010 K-3 Chardonnay Bott
2010 K-3 Chardonnay Case
This Chardonnay offers everything our Estate Chardonnay does with slightly more decadent concentration; hints of hazel nut, lime, nectarine and acacia aromas that will only intensify with age. A layered mouth feel with silky texture complements a lingering firm, toasty, vanilla laced finish. Gets more complex and interesting with every sip!!
The grapes for this hand crafted reserve block designated wine were harvested and sorted on October 17, 2010 from our SIP certified Estate Vineyard, McIntyre Vineyard, located on Sanchez Road near Gonzales in the coveted Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation. Our block designated wines represent the highest achievement our estate vineyard has to offer, as we discover just where the most uniform vines grow on this property and then thin those vines to just one cluster per shoot! In this manner, each shoot can down load everything Mother Nature has to offer into just one cluster that optimally ripens in this cool maritime climate.
Title: 2010 Estate Block K-1 Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.43%
Total Acid: 0.69 grams/100ml
PH: 3.43
2007 Mission Ranch Pinot
$36
2007 Mission Ranch Pinot Case
$432
Wine Enthusiast Magazine - 90 POINTS
"This little appellation in the Salinas Valley is on an upswing with Pinot Noir, as evidenced by this fine bottling. It's rich, as yous expect from the perfect 2007 vintage, and well balanced, with the cherry, raspberry, cola and spice flavors bracketed by crisp acidity and smooth tannins. Probably not an ager, but a wine to watch."
The Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine
Deep and extracted but in no way beholden to ripeness, this one smells of dark cherries with a hint of hardwoods to its credit, and it is again on the well- constructed side on the palate. Sturdy, a touch tight at the back and seeming to be headed in the right direction, it does show a bit of an acidy tail end and will want up to five years of aging to be at its best.
For most winemakers, the 2007 vintage has become the benchmark for perfect growing conditions and maximum quality potential. Conditions were ideal; no frost, no temperature spikes, just warm days and cool nights to help regulate the uptake of all the precursors of aroma, flavor and structure characterizing this great vintage.
The Mission Ranch Vineyard sits on the northern end of the Arroyo Seco appellation on the western side of the Salinas Valley and actually borders the Santa Lucia Highlands northeastern most boundary. The rows are planted on a north / south orientation and utilize a vertical shoot positioned canopy for trellis architecture, in order to maximize sun exposure on both sides of the canopy throughout the entire day as the sun traverses the southern sky. Vines in this block are extremely uniform and as such the grapes require very little sorting at harvest to eliminate desiccated or under ripe berries.
The resultant wine is made in our usual “hands off” style, as we allow the wild yeast to do their thing and manage the cap during fermentation in such a manner as to fully extract all of the potential of this great site. The wines are barreled for 7-8 months in 60% new French oak before bottling in August.
We hope you enjoy this supple, succulent and flavorful Pinot with a friend or two!
Title: 2007 Mission Ranch Pinot Noir
Appellation: Arroyo Seco
Vineyard: Mission Ranch
Vintage: 2007
Cases Produced: 400
Winery Retail: $36
2009 Kimberly Merlot
$19
$228
90+ Points - International Wine Review
"This brilliant dark ruby Merlot shows rich scents of ripe, red fruit with a hint of blueberry. Soft and velvet like on an effusively fruity palate, it is lush and balanced with ripe tannins on a long, flavorful finish. Absolutely delicious, and one of the better Merlots weve had out of California this year."
Coming soon!
L'homme Qui Ris
$29
$348
Monterey's first Methode Chamenoise
The name Lhomme qui ris means the man who laughs. We thought this would be the perfect name for a cuvee that can provide so much joy. Lehomme qui ris is also the title of the painting that was used to create this label. James Jarvaise, a renowned artist who now presides in Santa Barbara, California is responsible for this wonderful rendering and we are fortunate to be able to use it. You will find this wonderful sparkling wine the perfect compliment to any celebration.
This sparkling cuvee is produced using the methode champenoise process first developed hundreds of years ago in the Champagne region of France. The cuvee was produced from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay grapes grown in a sustainable manner from our McIntyre Estate Vineyard, located in the heart of the famed Santa Lucia Highlands appellation near Gonzales, California. Over the years this vineyard has produced outstanding cuvees for J, Sharffenburger, Kornel, Jepson and Tribaut to name a few.
After primary fermentation the cuvee stays in tirage for at least 2 years prior to disgorgement. At that point we only disgorge enough product to sell for 6-10 months. In this manner the rest of the bottles remain in tirage for an additional year or more. Since we are not disgorging the entire batch all at once, this process keeps fresh product out in the market place, while the additional tirage increases the development of rich and luxurious subtle tones of lime, brioche and toast, as the cuvee continues to age on the lees.
Vineyard: McIntyre Estate Vineyard
Varietals: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay
Clones: Gamey Clone Pinot Noir, Clone 96 Chardonnay
Alcohol: 12.4 %
Residual Sugar: 0.60g/100ml
Total Acid: 0.98 g/100ml
PH: 3.02
Years In Tirage: 2-5
Welcome to our Wine Shop!
We're located right in the heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands, a wine region that has rapidly gained notoriety for its distinctive and identifiable Pinot Noirs. We focus on producing high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and a very special bottling of bubbles. Our wines are produced from superb fruit from some of the best vineyards in the surrounding appellations. We are delighted to share the following current releases with you!
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We currently ship to California only
Join McIntyre Vineyard's Customer Choice Wine Club
We looked around at all the other wine clubs and saw how a couple of times a year they send a bunch of bottles of their choice to you, bill your credit card and we really appreciate that type of wine club. But as we talked to folks in our Tasting Studio at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, we began to think that maybe we should let the wine club members decide what bottles they wanted.
So we came up with our Custom Choice Wine Club idea.
Its pretty simple. Twice a year, we send you an email with a list of our wines and the prices. You choose the type of wine and the amount youd like, we give you a 20% discount and thats that.
You pay when you order, only for what you order.
Of course, you are a member of McIntyres Insider Trading Squad, privy to all types of gossip, deals, event invitations, special offersall the good stuff that comes with membership in a secret society.
So sign up, its easy. Just give us your name and contact info. Then keep an eye out for that special email and grab a couple of handfuls of McIntyre Vineyards handcrafted, small production Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Merlot and of course, one of the only sparklers in this part of the world.
Cheers,
Steve McIntyre and the gang.
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