Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Roar's latest vintage of Pinot Noir wonderfully captures the essence of winegrowing in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The wine shines in the glass with a pristine ruby color, supported by aromas of raspberries and blackberries. What comes next is classic SLH. Red fruits on the front of the palate shift into layers of cherry cola, thyme and rosemary herbs wrapped in a supple and leathery texture. Acid finds a subtle harmony throughout tasting. While this year's edition offers a little more restraint, it does not lack in the showy and bold character that Roar strives for.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the base 2021 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is smoking good, with a beautiful, Chambolle-like perfume of redcurrants, spring flowers, spice, and hints of tea and forest floor. Medium-bodied, it has a supple, elegant texture, a more focused, savory mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. It's a classic, balanced, incredibly impressive Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 7-8 years, and I suspect it will evolve even longer.
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Both vineyards have developed a reputation among high-end wineries for low yields of intensely flavored grapes. In 2007 and 2008, we planted two new vineyards; our own "high altitude" Sierra Mar Vineyard, which is located six miles south of Garys' Vineyard at 1000 ft elevation; and the Soberanes Vineyard, just south of Garys' Vineyard, developed in partnership with the Pisoni Family. After working with several wineries to develop the pedigree of the vineyards and the region, we decided in 2001 to make our wine. As third generation growers, our goal with ROAR Wines is to make small lots of wine that are a pure reflection of the Santa Lucia Highlands and in particular the signature flavors of our vines. The name ROAR comes from the sound of the Monterey Bay winds that roar through our vineyards as well as the thrilling sound of a roaring crowd.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.