Pale ruby color; black cherry, plum, raspberry, cranberry, boysenberry, pomegranate, red licorice, spice, herb tea, vanilla on the nose and palate.
Dry; fine, gentle tannins; good acidity. Medium-plus body; assertively fruit forward with a bit of tartness on the mid-palate. 100% pinot noir grapes hand-picked, sorted, and fermented in small, individual fermenters. Aged seven months in French oak barrels, then blended for bottling. Made with an emphasis on fresh fruit expression rather than extended oak aging. Jim McCabe is the winemaker. 14.1% ABV
Bernardus Pon founded the winery in 1989. In 1947, the Pon family was the first to import VW Bugs into the United States—and the first to import Porsche into the Netherlands in 1949. Bernardus—“Ben”—even joined the Porsche Factory Racing team in the early 1960s. Ben selected the Carmel Valley when he moved from cars into winemaking. The website notes: “with its west-facing orientation, hot days and chilly nights, and stunning beauty, confident his vineyards there could produce wines to rival the greatest on the globe.”
Bernardus sources fruit exclusively from Monterey County vineyards. The winery has one estate vineyard—Ingrid’s—located on the western part of Cachagua, planted in pinot noir and chardonnay, and managed sustainably by Matt Shea. Shea notes: “My philosophy for farming comes from my background of spending 13 years in Oregon growing premium Pinot Noir organically, biodynamically and conventionally,” he says. “I have fused all of those types of farming into an approach that is as sustainable as possible and really tailored to this type of vineyard in Monterey County.”
Bernardus Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County 2023 is smooth, delicious, very fruit-forward expression of pure cool-climate Santa Lucia Highlands pinot noir. Clean, fresh, refined, harmonious marriage of structure and elegance with emphasis on fruit rather than oak or alcohol. $32-45
Pairing—Grilled or pan-seared salmon topped butter-sautéed wild mushrooms; seared tuna, blackened catfish. Roasted chicken, duck, quail and other game birds. Pork tenderloin, chops, roast; barbecued baby back ribs when sauce is not too aggressive. Wild mushrooms, mushroom risotto, pasta with porcini mushrooms, sautéed wild mushrooms. Cheese—Brie, camembert, havarti; aged and semi-hard—gruyère, comté, aged gouda; fresh dhèvre, herbed goat cheese; truffle-infused cheeses.
