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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 194 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jhack1961 on 2/23/2024 & rated 92 points: Big and full bodied, I had this a few times when it was younger and it was too overblown for my taste, but it's mellowed out a lot and is now quite good. It's still big but not overwhelming and is really pleasant, very fruity but with some very positive bottle-age nuance. I wish I had tasted it a few times over the years to see when it turned the corner.... (211 views) | | | Tasted by Dbabtd on 1/28/2022 & rated 92 points: Drinking beautifully. Ruby red very floral and great bouquet. Certainly good for another 5 years or so. (1158 views) | | | Tasted by cynthiapang27@gmail.com on 12/31/2021 & rated 93 points: Very smooth, highly recommend, paired with braised short ribs and mashed potatoes (1101 views) | | | Tasted by Smatk on 12/26/2021: Singing with rich, intense cherry cola notes from the get-go. Sweet, dark fruit all around. A decadent change of pace. Paired ok with apple, cranberry, porcini stuffed pork loin with braised red cabbage and garlic mashed potatoes. (1221 views) | | | Tasted by VinoGirl421 on 10/4/2020 & rated 96 points: Lovely (1817 views) | | | Tasted by Zed57 on 3/10/2020 & rated 92 points: There is a rock and stone frame to the raspberry flavours with a touch of cherry and vanilla. Nicely complex with a terrific underlying purity. Drinking really well. (1936 views) | | | Tasted by Ranjan on 3/13/2019 & rated 93 points: Awesome nose, drinking well now (1985 views) | | | Tasted by Ranjan on 3/13/2019 & rated 93 points: Awesome nose, rich deep fruit (1860 views) | | | Tasted by mac-eye on 1/24/2019 & rated 92 points: I agree with corkscrews' comments, but I give it a higher score.
This is a wonderful intense pinot, albeit rather heavy. Deep fruit flavor - black cherry and cola among the notes - while it is well balanced by acid and does not taste too fruity. No hard edges and no complaints. Not too sweet at all. Tannins are evident while fully softened. Oak is not too overt.
In a recent horizontal with the 2011 Clark and Telephone, friends were split in preference, a few more preferred this one.
I differ with the CT drinking window, which currently goes through 2018. In early 2019 it was just coming into its own with no signs impending old age. (1891 views) | | | Tasted by Ranjan on 11/30/2018 & rated 96 points: Vanilla, strawberry, moderate oak. Excellent nose, very well balanced. (1668 views) | | | Tasted by corkscrews on 9/29/2018 & rated 93 points: A nose of dark cherry and spices, dark garnet in color. A full bodied single vineyard PN, with black cherry, blueberry, cola, with long finish of spices. Not your petite Pinot, delicious, in a great drinking zone. www.winelx.com (1592 views) | | | Tasted by Bro on 9/20/2018 & rated 91 points: Dégusté avec des pâtes aux pétoncles, crevettes et chorizo aux tomates ... Quel heureux mariage ! ... (1487 views) | | | Tasted by kreuter on 5/30/2018: Outstanding (833 views) | | | Tasted by fillingup on 4/16/2018 & rated 93 points: Great fruit. Still some tannins. Plum notes, purple color, hint of raspberry, some leather, nose- dusty (1688 views) | | | Tasted by oenophilemoose on 3/20/2017 & rated 89 points: Decanted and consumed over the next two hours. Unfortunately, this wine has flavors and nuances that I don't particularly enjoy. Notes of prune overwhelmed as it seems to be a characteristic of many Wagner Family wines. (3343 views) | | | Tasted by matt4wine on 11/2/2016 & rated 90 points: Should have decanted longer. I enjoy this wine. Cassis, jammy and a big Cali Pinot. (3156 views) | | | Tasted by MurphyCellar on 3/27/2016 & rated 91 points: Belle Glos continues to be amazing. (3982 views) | | | Tasted by Gunman on 1/29/2016 & rated 84 points: This is everything a Pinot shouldn't be. Dark, brooding, highly extracted, syrupy. If you like "sweet" oaky wines, go for it. Kind of like blackberry vanilla syrup. (4197 views) | | | Tasted by jsmadsen on 1/21/2016 & rated 89 points: I just can't get behind the over-extracted, viscous style here that smothers the varietal. Better to stick to caymus. (3637 views) | | | Tasted by maderay on 12/14/2015 & rated 85 points: OK. Disappointing, syrupy, did not taste like a pinot noir (2561 views) | | | Tasted by DeadheadKurt on 11/15/2015 & rated 90 points: 2 hour decant and really didn't start opening up until the end of the meal. Had with brisket with mushrooms and cranberries. Perfect match. (2495 views) | | | Tasted by brasstab on 9/13/2015 & rated 90 points: Big and busy, but a little more tempered as the evening opened up. Better than the last one I tasted. Raspberry and rhubarb with a big earthy base. Great way to get ready for '80s night at the Hollywood Bowl (2266 views) | | | Tasted by pkatz on 6/14/2015 & rated 91 points: Rich, heavy and retains pinot varietal character but I must wonder what else is in it. (2333 views) | | | Tasted by wiscgrad on 3/30/2015 & rated 87 points: similar to other folks notes, this guy is beast. as full throttle a cali pinot as I've ever had, and it was just too much. IPOB will not come on knocking on for this one anytime soon. Well made, but not my style anymore (2639 views) | | | Tasted by FMRsommelier on 3/8/2015 & rated 93 points: Robe rubis de moyenne intensité. Nez explosif de framboise, cerise, violette et vanille fraîche. La bouche quand à elle séduit par sa texture suave et sa masse de fruit. Une jolie fraîcheur porte le vin vers une finale en longueur. Superbe Pinot. (2892 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (11/21/2013)
(Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (11/12/2013)
(Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Belle Glos Producer Website
The vineyard locations can all be described as coastal, but the climate differences are significant, depending on the amount of fog, wind, sunlight, and soil type at each site.
Each wine is crafted to distill the purest essence of the vineyard into elegant expressions of California Pinot Noir.
Winemaker Joseph Wagner chose the name Belle Glos (pronounced BELL GLOSS) to honor his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner, a co-founder of Caymus Vineyards.
http://www.meiomiwines.com/'> Producer website
Meiomi, (pronounced May-oh-mee) , has a separate website.
Prince of Pinot Article on Belle Glos
Belle Glos: Caymus Genes
Belle Glos (pronounced BELL GLOS) is owned by the Wagner family of Napa Valley Caymus Vineyards fame. Caymus Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Mer Soleil Chardonnay, and Caymus Conundrum are well know wines, but the winery has a long history with Pinot Noir, producing some excellent examples from relatively warm locations of the Napa Valley (Rutherford) in the late 1970s and 1980s. They even produced a Pinot Noir Blanc wine labeled “Eye of Partridge.”
The Pinot Noir program was revived in 2001 with the release of Belle Glos Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir and the wines have improved every year since. The name comes from Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner’s mother, Loma Belle Glos Wagner, a co-founder of Caymus Vineyards. Joseph Wagner, a fourth generation winemaker whose family’s roots in the Napa Valley date to 1906, has been the label’s vineyardist and winemaker since 2002. Belle Glos is a separate label from Caymus Vineyards, much like Mer Soleil and Conundrum, made independently from wines Chuck Wagner makes at Caymus Vineyards, referred to as “by the Wagner Family” rather than “by Caymus”, but distributed by Caymus Vineyards.
Caymus farms Pinot Noir in three coastal regions including the Sonoma Coast, Santa Maria Valley and the Santa Lucia Highlands and produces vineyard-designated Pinot Noir from the estate vineyards in each region. A fourth Pinot Noir, Meiomi, is a value-priced wine found in wide distribution and restaurants. A distinctive and excellent rosé, is also produced that revives the name, “Oeil De Perdrix,” sourced from the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County. The Gambit Series of Pinot Noirs debuted in 2008 at Pinot Days San Francisco. These limited production single-vineyard wines with no added sulfur were intended to offer the rich and voluptuous nature of raw Pinot Noir grapes. I have not seen or heard of these wines since, but they are briefly described on the Belle Glos website.
Caymus acquired a portion of the historic Santa Maria Hills Vineyard in the 1990s. The land, on a west-facing slope of the Santa Maria Valley foothills, had been planted to Pinot Noir from 1972 to 1974, so the vines were almost ancient by California Pinot Noir standards. The vines were own rooted and the clone uncertain, but probably Martini, an heirloom clone that was one of the first Pinot Noir selections to grace California coast lands. I first reviewed the 2001 Belle Glos Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir in the July 7, 2003 issue of the PinotFile, and the wine was generally well received by the wine press. At the time, little was known of the label. Bob Hosmon of the Miami Sun Sentinel wrote, “To say that this is one of the best United States produced Pinot Noirs I’ve ever tasted is not an overstatement... if you’re looking for something truly special, you won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately no website, mail, e-mail or phone orders.” The website is still very basic and offers no opportunity to purchase the wines. With the 2002 vintage, winemakers Joseph Wagner and Jon Bolta (Conundrum) took what was already a low-yielding 76-acre vineyard and reduced the crop even more radically by regular thinning to increase the flavor concentration of the berries. When the grapes were hand harvested, they ended up with just over one ton per acre. The quality was so high and the flavors so distinctive they felt the wine deserved to be named for the vineyard that produced it which was located at the intersection of Clark & Telephone roads.
The 10-acre Sonoma Coast Taylor Lane Vineyard was planted near the town of Occidental in 1995. While Joseph Wagner was in middle school he helped develop this vineyard, clearing trees and rocks from this previously unplanted land, and laying out and planting the vine rows. To get the grapes to ripen in this cool seaside climate, the trellis system was converted to “Trentina,” named after the region in Italy where it originated, which maximizes sun exposure on the leaves. There is a very consistent diurnal temperature variation at this vineyard site which insures a good balance between ripeness and acidity. The first Belle Glos Taylor Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir was in 2002.
The Las Alturas Vineyard is located in one of the highest plantable sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, at altitudes of 540 to 1,210 feet. The site has warmer afternoons and tamer winds than the northern portion of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. This 15-acre vineyard was planted to match various Pinot Noir Dijon clones to different soils and slopes of the vineyard. Yields are kept deliberately low. The inaugural vintage from this vineyard was 2004.Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas VineyardMy goal with each of the Belle Glos single-vineyard Pinot Noirs is to express the uniqueness of each vineyard site and to craft a genuine style of California Pinot Noir that is layered, complex, fruit-forward and rich. Our Las Alturas Vineyard is an ideal location for growing such a robust, opulent and full-flavored style of Pinot Noir.
The Vineyard: The Spanish term “Las Alturas” means “the heights,” which is a fitting name for this vineyard because it’s located on one of the highest grape-growing benches within the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. At this elevation, the sunny but very cool climate creates a wine with the hallmarks of this coastal region: robust, expressive and full-bodied, balanced by a firm acidity. Nestled between the Santa Lucia Mountain Range and the western side of Salinas Valley, Las Alturas benefits from the cooling effect of the early morning fog that rolls in most days from Monterey Bay, burning off within a few hours once the sun heats up. Gusty winds also funnel in from the bay throughout the afternoon, moderating the overall temperature and contributing to one of the longest growing seasons in California. The high winds also result in smaller berries with very thick skins, giving us more color concentration. Another attractive characteristic of this particular site is the low-vigor, free-draining subsoil, made up of a calcareous base underneath a layer of sandy loam. This compliments our farming techniques to further reduce our yields per vine to augment the fruit’s intensity.
The Cellar: We harvested early morning to bring the fruit into the winery while the grapes were still cool so we could de-stem, but not crush the berries. Each tank then underwent a cold-soak to soften the skins, allowing for adequate extraction during fermentation, which in some cases was up to two weeks. The maceration process took
place during fermentation in both closed and open-top, stainless steel fermenters that are fully jacketed, using punch-downs and pump-overs to extract color and tannins, but also to control the temperatures and maximize flavors. We only barreled the free-run, discarding the press, in 100% French oak (60% new, 40% seasoned) for up to nine months. We racked the wine twice, once after malolactic fermentation, and then again when it came time to make the final blend.
Tasting Notes
Intense ruby red in color, it is an intriguing aromatic mix of sunbaked blackberry, bright cranberry, ripe plum, black licorice and hints of candy apple. Complex red and black fruits unfold on the palate; blackberries, raspberries and warm cherry pie filling, with a wonderful dark chocolate characteristic. Cedary oak and soft vanilla undertones on the mid-palate further enhance the wine. The overall impression is rich and silky with a firm acidity, refined tannins and explosive layers of ripe fruit.
- Joseph Wagner, Owner and Winemaker
2013 Las Alturas
Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County
Belle Glos Pinot Noir | www.belleglos.com
VINTAGE DETAILS
Soil: Gloria sandy loam
Climate: Cool, very sunny
Growing Season (bloom to
harvest): 5/20/13 – 10/10/13
Avg. high temp: 78.9°F
Elevation: 540 – 1210 ft.
2013 Growing Season: Santa Lucia Highlands is known for its arid climate and windy conditions, with the Pacific Ocean’s influence cooling the desert-like environment. 2013 exemplified this climate in an extreme way with very little rain. Overall, it was a very even, warm growing season, free of any heat spikes. The dry winter stressed the vines early on, which also helped with the wonderfully intense flavor development in the fruit.
This wine is named in honor of my grandmother,
Lorna Belle Glos Wagner.Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA WikipediaSanta Lucia HighlandsAppellation: Wine Artisans of Santa Lucia Highlands | Winegeeks article
AVA Website
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