Bernardus Pinot Noir
Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012
The Santa Lucia Highlands are known as one of the premier Pinot Noir appellations of the world. One reason for this lofty reputation is Rosella’s Vineyard. Gary Franscioni planted his home ranch, named for his lovely wife, in the heart of the Highlands. Gary’s home vineyard is planted with a selection of the best available Pinot Noir clones and farmed with unparalleled passion and attention to detail. We at Bernardus are fortunate to have access to three small blocks: 2 planted with clone 777, and the third with the celebrated Pisoni clone.
Each block is individually monitored for ripeness in order to hand-pick each clone at its perfect ripeness level. The grapes are sorted at the winery and fermented in small individual fermenters using specially selected yeasts. Once fermentation and pressing are complete, each lot is aged separately for 10 months in the finest French oak barrels. Each barrel is evaluated individually and the final selection is made through a lengthy series of tasting trials.
The robe of our 2011 Rosella’s is a deep crimson. On the nose we find aromas of candied red cherry fruits along with notes of oak and spice. The palate is very full and complex, exuding flavors of red cherry and berries, accented by notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. This is a beautifully intense wine that will age wonderfully for many years to come.
Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2012
Our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a blend of Pinots from some of SLH’s best vineyards. It amply demonstrates all the characteristics that have made this wine region world famous for its Pinot Noirs. The Santa Lucia Highlands have long been a focus for us at Bernardus as we recognized early on the phenomenal potential of these great vineyards. We have been producing small vineyard-designate bottlings from several of our favorites for many years. Recently, we have increased our vineyard selections and felt the time was right to bottle our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. In 2011 the summer was mild, with beautiful, dry weather through September and October. This, along with low yields in the vineyards, provided us with wonderfully expressive and flavorful wines. At Bernardus, all our grapes are hand-picked, fermented in small, individual batches and aged in the finest French oak barrels until final blending, just before bottling.
In the glass, the robe is a classic crimson color. We find aromas of cherry and cranberry, along with subtle spicy oak notes. The palate is beautifully focused, exhibiting flavors of ripe, red fruits. The finish is soft and gently lingers on the palate.
Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
Sierra Mar is a superb new vineyard planted by the renowned grower Gary Franscioni on a dramatic hilltop location at the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands. We at Bernardus are honored to be among the few to receive both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this up-and-coming super star.
We have chosen two from among the several clones of Pinot Noir planted here: the celebrated “Pisoni Clone” and Dijon clone 828. At Bernardus, we use only hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes for our wines. The robe is a beautiful crimson. Intense scents of dark berries and ripe plums fill the glass. There are very focused of ripe red fruits and subtle spicy oak notes on a long silky finish. This superb, well-structured Pinot will age gracefully for many years to come.
Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
The 2011 Soberanes is deeply color with an exuberant nose of brambles and wild berries. The palate is very intense and full-bodied, exhibiting flavors of black cherry, boysenberry and spice, and a long solid finish. The structure of this superb wine insures its ageability for many years to come.
Ingrid's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
Our tiny (3 ½ acres) Ingrid’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, planted at the entrance to Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, is typical of the newest trend in terms of climate and location of the highest quality Pinot Noir vineyards in California. Only ten miles from the ocean, our vineyard enjoys sunny weather with cool ocean breezes throughout the summer and fall seasons. This produces a Pinot of great intensity and well-defined fruit expression.
We planted Ingrid’s vineyard in 1999 with three of our favorite clones: 667, 777 and Pommard. These are providing us with ever deeper, richer wines as the vineyard reaches full maturity.
2011 was another mild year providing us with wines with bright fruit expression and crisp acidity. It displays a beautiful ruby color and classic Pinot aromas of ripe red berries accented by hints of spice. The flavors are rich with silky with candied cherry/berry fruit flavors and hints of spice and sweet oak. The finish is beautifully smooth, supported by gentle, ripe tannins which promise a wine that will age beautifully for several years to come.