2019 Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir

Vineyard:

Our 2019 SLH Pinot Noir owes much of its success to superior terroir and diligent, regenerative farming. It combines the “Swan” and “Old Vine’ vineyard selections and two clones from our McIntyre Estate Vineyard: 777 and 115.” The ‘Old Vine” block was planted 5 decades ago this year, making it the oldest planting of Pinot Noir in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. It is own rooted – a rarity in California. The crop was thinned to a maximum of three tons per acre or 1.5 lbs. of fruit per foot of cordon. Row orientation is primarily north/south in both vineyards, which provides even sun exposure from morning to afternoon.

Winemaking:

At McIntyre our winemaking techniques are minimalistic. Our philosophy of “thoughtful but limited intervention” guarantees that the character and complexity of our fruit is highlighted in all our wines. The grapes for this Pinot were harvested and hand-sorted in the early morning hours. Primary and malolactic fermentations were managed naturally using the wild, indigenous yeast strains that thrive in our vineyards.