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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 71 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by The Drunken Cyclist on 5/10/2017 & rated 89 points: This is my third (and last) bottle of this and this was a bit of a departure from the others as this comes off as particularly stewed and extracted compared to the first two. I know that last word is a bit charged, but it feels heavy and thick. Still, this is a tasty wine, that no doubt would please a large segment of the wine drinking population. thedrunkencyclist.com (2250 views) | | | Tasted by The Drunken Cyclist on 1/31/2017 & rated 91 points: I have already written about Belle Glos’ distinctive wax seal (if you are going to have wax, go all-in—don’t have the pull tab), so no need to go there again (although I think I just did). The wine, though, is still faring quite well. Opulent fruit, a touch of earth, and a solid finish. What’s not to jump up and down about? Well, in a word, nothing (since I don’t think they are going to heed my advice regarding the wax). thedrunkencyclist.com (2361 views) | | | Tasted by The Drunken Cyclist on 1/31/2016 & rated 92 points: Retail $65. Honestly, I think the whole wax thing is a bit over the top. In fact, even Wagner sees it as simply decorative as they have a pull tab on top to assuage the fears of the wax averse. Once I get past the wax, this comes close to a whoa. Really close. Cherry and eucalyptus on the senses and the fruit continues to tantalize by tickling the tongue. Impeccably balanced with just a hint of tannins. Drink in the short term since there is no reason to wait. It is a big juicy Pinot and if you like that style, you will certainly love this. thedrunkencyclist.com (3302 views) | | | Tasted by The Raven on 4/7/2015 & rated 90 points: Wonderful Pinot with a lot of body. Drank well by itself with hints of blackberry and chocolate. Didn't like the wax bottle cover because it was hard to remove and made a mess. (3927 views) | | | Tasted by Swekman on 3/21/2015 & rated 92 points: The nose of this wine is made up of dried cherries, pencil lead, cedar, and a hint of smoke. It has solid, well rounded tannins and the finish lingers. This bottle is drinking really nice right now and I am happy to have cellared it for 5 years before opening it. (3784 views) | | | Tasted by CWang on 3/14/2015 & rated 92 points: My last bottle of this wine was opened early as I was wondering if it was aging much faster than expected; very rich nose full of berries and roses like the previous bottle; less acidic and more complex on the palate, yet the tannins were still quite noticeable in the long finish; overall, also 92-93 points at this stage; a few more years needed to reach maturity to me. (8396 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 6/1/2014 & rated 90 points: Very much near the end of its window. Has lost some of its fruit vibrancy, still very nice. (2904 views) | | | Tasted by Grenik on 12/14/2013 & rated 90 points: Bright red fruit, good balance, medium finish. (2712 views) | | | Tasted by Sugarb on 11/29/2013 & rated 90 points: Drinking very well. Served as second Pinot with Thanksgiving dinner. As with other Belle Glos bottlings, there is a nice balance between fruit and minerality, although the minerality showed through a little more. (2222 views) | | | Tasted by CWang on 5/25/2013 & rated 92 points: It's a sin to taste this wine so young; the nose, super rich in red berries and fragrant roses, plus some caramel and mineral powders; the palate, quite acidic, berries, cassises, incense, and licorice; medium to full bodied, yet still rather green and tight; the finish, creamy and lingering long; red and black berries coated with caramel, tropical spices, and sweet tannins; overall, 92-93 points for now; lots of promising potential ahead; will likely reach 94-95 points without breaking a sweat in 5 years, but too bad only one bottle left; will leave it alone in the cellar before 2018. (19741 views) | | | Tasted by Bjamin on 4/18/2013 & rated 95 points: Amazing wine. Aged to perfection. One or two more years and it would be toast. Nice and complex. (3379 views) | | | Tasted by clarktoews on 9/5/2012 & rated 91 points: this bottle was better all around then my last one. fruit was more integrated and balanced and the finsih was much more smooth and lasting. (3780 views) | | | Tasted by clarktoews on 8/30/2012 & rated 90 points: decent wine, good light fruit bu was a touch green on the finish (3194 views) | | | Tasted by thomasthoustrup on 8/15/2012 & rated 90 points: very good. fruity, not too much, complex, nice acid/tannin balance. very well made wine. (3457 views) | | | Tasted by swtrader on 6/26/2012: Gave to Elaine retirement
(3065 views) | | | Tasted by clarktoews on 6/11/2012 & rated 90 points: very nice wine, has mellowed out sicne my last bottle. well integrated abut lacks a wow factor for me to give it a higher score. (2890 views) | | | Tasted by godx on 6/10/2012 & rated 87 points: No formal notes. New world nose, ripe juicy fruit, red cherry, raspberries, and good length. Candied red fruits on the palate. Decent acidity, no tannins. Fruity and easy drinking. Good. (2090 views) | | | Tasted by Bowmanifesto on 1/22/2012 & rated 90 points: Outstanding Belle. Rich dark ruby in the glass. Rich bright cherries on the palate. This particular bottle(my last of this vintage) muted on the nose. So lowest score for this wine from me ever. But still outstanding. (2811 views) | | | Tasted by clarktoews on 12/25/2011 & rated 91 points: very nice and clean. smooth and rounded and decent length of finish. (2955 views) | | | Tasted by Ewwgene on 11/20/2011: Medium body, rich fruit with hints of red currants deep cherry almost cherry preserves. Long finish. pomegranate on the nose. Fruit slightly overwhelming for a central coast but is Santa Lucia highlands so kind of expected. (3327 views) | | | Tasted by Bowmanifesto on 3/16/2011 & rated 93 points: 93 is my story and I'm sticking to it. Every bit as luscious as my last bottle. Too bad I just have one of these babies left. (4725 views) | | | Tasted by chanote44 on 12/28/2010 & rated 92 points: Wow, what a great pinot. Beautiful nose of cherry and spice. Silky smooth mouthfeel and fine tannins. (4917 views) | | | Tasted by Yme on 11/13/2010 & rated 82 points: Californian Pinot Noir Tasting Flight (on board the Independence of the Seas)
Darkish ruby, a bit muted brilliance. Close red fruit nose. Light bodied, mild to moderate tannins, mild red fruits (mainly sour cherries) and earthy notes. Short length. (5265 views) | | | Tasted by Grenik on 11/8/2010 & rated 90 points: Needed to decant about an hour for the sweaty socks nose to blow off. After that the bright fruit comes through nicely. There are notes of cherry, but there is some nice pepper undertones. Good complexity. Finish is medium length. Not as smooth as I would like it to be. (5219 views) | | | Tasted by thomasthoustrup on 10/4/2010 & rated 87 points: good wine, but way too pricy for me (5598 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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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