Sonnet Tondre's Pinot Noir 2019
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Wilfred
Wong
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The 2019 Santa Lucia Highlands Tondre’ Pinot is an elegant display of red cherry fruit and earthy spice. The showy forest floor potpourri character of the SLH AVA shines through on the mid-palate. The tannins are soft and supple, lending a long elegant feel to the palate where the opulent black cherry fruit waits to delight.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Sonnet Wine Cellars Tondre's Grapefield Pinot Noir is alluring and fulfilling on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of sandalwood, savory spices, red berries, blueberries, and licorice. Enjoy it with slowly-braised meat dishes. (Tasted: December 24, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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2016-
Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred
Wong
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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.