Wrath Wines Pinot Noir Pommard 4/777 Monterey 2020

Just across the boundary of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, you’ll find Wrath’s San Saba estate vineyard, in northern Monterey County. Planted in 1975 by Mack and Barbara Lemmon, this revered site is a perfect cool climate spot for crafting some of Monterey’s most exceptional wines. This pinot noir is quintessential Central Coast magic – and we got some for over 50% less than the winery’s price!

Barbara’s son, Michael Thomas, runs the show today at Wrath Wines, working closely with vineyard manager Steve McIntyre and winemaker Sabrine Rodems to make small lots of estate-focused wines that showcase their land, the unique climate of their site, and their artisan winemaking. Everything is farmed sustainably, and this two-clone expression from their San Saba estate is simply lights-out good – especially for the incredible price of UNDER $20!

The grapes at work here are roughly 65% Pommard 4 clone and 35% 777 clone – all hand-harvested and sorted on the estate. Some 20% whole cluster balances the acidity and adds a spicy depth, with 20% new French oak aging for 10 months, deftly polishing the edges and texture – without overreaching on the flavor profile. The incredibly long growing season – one of the longest in the world, historically, does the rest…creating a ripe, yet balanced style that has power, nuance, and tremendous endurance! The nose leads with peonies in bloom and dark and syrupy black cherry essence. There are whispers of coastal redwood forest, and the salty tang of the nearby Pacific, with blood orange zest, cranberry relish, clove, cinnamon, and a final flourish of black raspberries! It’s a LOT of wine for UNDER $20 – especially considering they only made a few hundred cases to begin with! We scored all that we could – now the chance is yours to stock up on a glorious Central Coast pinot noir, at a price that can’t be beat!!!