2023 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

The 2023 growing season was the coolest season since 2011 and one of the longest, latest growing seasons in the 40+ years of Fogarty Winery. We began the harvest on September 25 with the Sauvignon Blanc from Gist Ranch and began to pick Pinot Noir later that week. The estate Chardonay harvest didn’t begin till October 19th. We finished with our Nebbiolo on November 14th, one of the latest picks we have ever made!

The wines are bright and aromatic with good depth and intensity. It is an elegant vintage that should age well. The wines will benefit from some additional time in the bottle as they are showing somewhat reticently in their youth. This seems to be a very strong vintage for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, especially the old vines on the estate – Rapley Trail and Langley Hill in particular.

"Pure and powerful, with licorice, birch, spice and cherry aromas before a concentrated palate with flavors of hibiscus, raspberry tea, tamarind, citrus and cranberries that fan out on a structured finish. Crunchy. Drink or hold." -James Suckling 91 points
Our winemaking is focused on allowing the unique signature of each vineyard site to be expressed. We ferment all of our Pinot Noir in small lots of between one and two tons. We utilize varying percentages of whole bunches (approximately 25-50%), tailored to each site, and ferment the wines without the addition of yeast. Our maceration period lasts from 10-21 days, often including a short per-fermentation cold soak. We age our Pinot Noir in 3 year air dried French Oak, exclusively from the forest of Chatillon. The wines are pressed in a traditional basket press and allowed to settle before barrelling.The wines spend two winters in barrel and are racked only at bottling.
Our Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir stands out as a distinctive vintage blend, crafted from a combination of estate and partner grower grapes. Each vineyard undergoes a vinification process to accentuate its individual signature, contributing to a harmonious and intensified expression of the renowned Santa Cruz Mountains character.