2018 Cambiata Pinot Noir

2018 Cambiata Pinot Noir

2018 Cambiata Pinot Noir; Central Coast, California

Winemaker Notes; This 2018 Cambiata Winery Pinot Noir is ripe and forward with oodles of black cherries topped with spicy clove and smoked paprika. The palate is full and rich and the underlying structure keeps the wine fresh and lively.

Pinot Noir is the dominant red wine grape of Burgundy, now adopted (and extensively studied) in wine regions all over the world. The variety’s elusive charm has carried it to all manner of vineyards.These extend from western Germany (as Spätburgunder) and northern Italy to Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. California, Oregon and New Zealand are arguably the greatest centers for the grape outside its home territory. However great Pinot Noir is made in all of these territories.

Santa Lucia Highlands is a long, narrow AVA that runs down the western side of the Salinas Valley in Monterey, California. Oceanic influences from the cold Monterey Bay make the area suitable for the production of premium, cool-climate wines. The AVA has earned a reputation for intensely flavored Chardonnay and weighty Pinot Noir. Winegrowing in the area dates back to the late 18th Century, when Spanish missionaries planted the first vines. The modern wine industry sprang up in the 1970s, and the area became an AVA in 1991.

Cambiata is not your average California winery. They are a little more unconventional and iconoclastic than their compatriots around the Golden State. Cambiata launched in 2002 after making wines for other people for nearly two decades. Their intention was to make distinctive wines that go beyond the Franco triumvirate of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone. Today, Cambiate are vinifying a handful of compelling wines from some of California’s scarcest grape varieties including Albariño, Tannat and Dornfelder. They also make limited quantities of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Enjoy.