The next stop for The 12 Days of Pinot Noir is back to the Santa Cruz
Mountains. Black Ridge Vineyards is a small producer of Estate grown wines. Their small lot productions are made at Testarossa Vineyards. Of the 1,200 cases they produce the lot sizes range from 50 cases up to 500 cases. In addition to Pinot Noir they produce Viognier and a Bordeaux style blend that uses all 5 of the classic varietals. They have 22 acres under vine. Today I’ll look at their second commercial vintage ever of Pinot Noir.
The Black Ridge Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir is produced from estate fruit. Barrel aging was accomplished in French oak. 198 cases of this Pinot Noir were produced and the suggested retail price is $39.
The nose of this Pinot shows toasty oak, vanilla and dark fruits such as plum and blueberry. Black cherry is dominant throughout the palate along with blackberry and hints of orange zest. The fruit takes on a savory edge around mid-palate and that continues through the finish and clings to the back of your throat followed by copious mineral and cranberry notes as well as black pepper, earth and a final wallop of dust. This offering has yielding tannins and excellent acidity.
This Pinot Noir is well made and suitable for drinking for several years or so. It’s quite tasty on its own and will pair well with a wide range of foods. I matched it up with rotisserie chicken and roasted potatoes which worked nicely.
One of the pleasures of tasting through so many Pinot Noirs over several weeks is the discovery of fine releases by producers I wasn’t previously too familiar with. This is one of those cases. I had read about Black Ridge Vineyards on the web but hadn’t tried their wine previously. This Pinot Noir, particularly from a second vintage is impressive and well worth seeking out. I look forward to following the evolution of this winery to see what they do going forward.