2022 Minus Tide Manchester Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: This lifted, mouthwatering Pinot Noir displays great texture, suppleness, and density with the fruit concentration that we love from this low-yielding site. Savory notes of pine, flowering rosemary, and herbs are complemented by bright cranberry and strawberry. As we often find in the wines from this ultra-coastal vineyard, it has lovely salinity and minerality that add to the wine’s delicious intrigue. We continue to be enamored with the Pinot Noir from Manchester Ridge Vineyard.
Vineyard: Manchester Ridge Vineyard - Mendocino Ridge AVA, Mendocino
Perched on a ridgetop at 2,000 ft. in elevation and just 3.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean sits the stunning Manchester Ridge Vineyard. Standing at the edge of the site, with the vineyard behind you and the sea ahead, you can actually hear the waves rolling in and out down at the beach in the town of Manchester. Despite the close proximity to the coast, there is enough sun to ripen the grapes because the vineyard lies above the fog line. Yielding small clusters of approximately 2 tons per acre, this dry-farmed vineyard produces grapes with intense flavor and excellent natural acidity.
Winemaking: Native yeast. 40% whole-cluster fermentation in small, open-top fermenters. Aged in neutral French oak barrels for 11 months with early lees stirring.
Vintage: 2022 was a mild, even growing season, and through late summer, it was a picture-perfect vintage. The dry-farmed nature of our vineyards and corresponding low yields allowed us to pick before the late-season heat and early rains, resulting in a stellar vintage for our wines.
Technical Details:
Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Manchester Ridge
Appellation: Mendocino Ridge
Clone: 114
pH: 3.7
TA: 5.8 g/L
Brix at harvest: 22
Alcohol: 13.4%
120 cases produced
95 Points - The Tasting Panel
"A voice for the Mendocino Coast, the dry-farmed vineyard sits 2,000 feet above sea level just 3.5 miles from the Pacific. This fresh and vibrant Pinot Noir opens with sea breeze acidity and seashell minerality. Cranberry and cinnamon-spiced tea leaves add a platform for earthy tones of mushroom and umami to peek through."
94 Points - Decanter
"A deep, dark Pinot Noir from the Mendocino Ridge site, Manchester Ridge, sitting only four miles from the Pacific at just about 2000ft of elevation. The aromas are evocative of forest, with fir tips, turned soils and salted blood orange peel. On the palate, juicy fruits radiate as ocean salinity frames ripe raspberries, wild green strawberries and a note of singed citrus peel. Delightful, fresh with a sort of wild elegance that you'd expect from the mountainous northern reaches of California Pinot Noir country."
8.5 Points - Vinography
"Light to medium ruby in color, this wine smells of dried herbs and sagebrush, red berries, and road dust. In the mouth, very savory notes of berries, fresh and dried herbs, and road dust are wrapped in a powdery blanket of tannins. Very good acidity, but much more herbal than fruity. If you like your Pinots savory, this is definitely a wine for you. 13.4% alcohol."