2013 ALFARO FAMILY ESTATE PINOT NOIR SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS $27.99

For the final 'official' Insider's Pick of 2015 (we will likely have wines open to taste on Christmas Even and New Year's Eve depending on staffing, but will not send out any emails) we wanted to put the focus on family, the most important thing we should have on our minds this holiday season. As much as possible we try to represent the more personal, intimate wineries that have a relationship between the vineyards and the families. The stories and history are always better, and more often than not the wines are better as well. These are wines that you will never see double in production once they get 'famous' because they come from specific vineyards, they will bear the personality of the vintages and showing variety that makes wines compelling. The Alfaro Family wines have been an exciting addition to our California lineup, providing a broad spectrum of wines off their home property in Corralitos as well as the ancient 100+ year old Gimelli Vineyard in the Cienga Valley, and the famous Chardonnay-exclusive Trout Gultch Vineyards (which they now manage for other wineries as well).

​These are true 'terroir' wines that speak to the unique climate and character of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
A deep black cherry skin color in the glass, the aromas are equally deep and dark for a Pinot Noir, with lots of immediate cherry and dark spice that grow some subtle sweetness as it opens up with time. The Santa Cruz Mountains carry a lot of fog rolling off the Pacific Ocean, which keeps the vineyards cool and encourages less sugary fruit in the Pinots. The vineyards also tend to develop more acidity as well, which is definitely felt on the palate, bringing out a lot of tart cherry skin notes and savory almost peppery dark tones on the finish. This isn't 'Pinot approaching Zinfandel' with a jammy sweet texture, instead showing the elegance Pinot should always show. This is classic mountain Pinot at its best and most accessible.