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September 2003 saw the launch of Patty´s Pinot Newsletter with Issue No. 1 on Monterey County Wines. I might suggest that you review that newsletter, which is available at my website, as it contains information about Monterey County that I have not duplicated here. You can view all the other great Pinot Noir growing areas as well.

I want to thank all of you who have inquired about the small hiatus that we have had since the last issue . I have had a family situation which precluded publishing during that period, but everything is getting back to normal and I will be catching up.

"Wine Notes Version 2"
Wine Evaluation and Cellar Management Software

Developed exclusively for me by the Groundspace Corporation to evaluate wines quickly, accurately and with more detail than using a mere pencil. Wine Notes allows a user to evaluate wines using the 100-point scale. Easy to use with touch & tap operation. Cellar Management allows you to track what you have in your cellar, and tie your reviews to your cellar. The system keeps multiple reviews on the same wine so you can track how they evolve over time. You can always have it with you because it runs on a Pocket PC. Available now at www.pocketwinenotes.com

Monterey County
Food & Accommodation

Food

Monterey County produces a large variety of crops including artichokes, beef cattle, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, nursery products, salad products, spinach, strawberries and wine grapes. The beautiful head and leaf lettuces coming out of the Salinas Valley are unsurpassed. Organic producers such as Earthbound Farm bring us healthy and delicious food from Monterey.

Recipes

Pinot Noir Spaghetti with Broccoli  I know the following recipe sounds a little strange, but taste before you judge. Spaghetti cooked in pinot noir tastes wonderful and is beautiful in the bowl. Click here to view recipe.

Wine & Food Matcher

Pinot Noir Spaghetti with Broccoli

Natalie MacLean has developed an easy to use wine and food matcher. Learn how to pair food with wine with her easy-to-use tool. Search by wine if you're looking for meal inspirations (including recipes) or search by food to find great wine suggestions. www.nataliemaclean.com/matcher/

Monterey Farmer´s Markets

Carmel-by-the-Sea  Tuesdays at the Barnyard in Carmel during the summer months features organic produce.

Downtown Monterey  Tuesday in downtown Monterey on Alvarado Street is a street fair with food, crafts, and produce.

Monterey Peninsula College  Thursday at Monterey Peninsula College (MPC)

Restaurants

Monterey Peninsula Restaurants

The Monterey Peninsula abounds in excellent restaurants with great wine lists. Most feature Monterey County wines, especially the Pinot Noirs. Patty´s Pinot Closet Website (www.pinotnoirs.com) lists about 25 restaurants that I recommend on the Monterey Peninsula.

Wine Cellar at Tarpy´s Road House

Carmel-by-the-Sea  Carmel prides itself in being a pet friendly town. Dogs can run free on the beach. They have pet drinking fountains and many restaurants welcome the pets on their patios. Some even have pet menus. At Cantinetta Luca cantinettaluca.com in Carmel-by-the-Sea I especially enjoyed the Roasted Salmon at lunch. Their wine list includes some excellent Pinot Blanco and Pinot Grigio from the Adige/Friuli areas of Italy.

Pacific Grove  Passion Fish in PG remains my favorite restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula. Not only is the food excellent, but the suburb wine list prices are retail. www.passionfish.net

Monterey  Tarpy´s Roadhouse on Hwy 68 offers "Wine-Down Wednesdays" which resume this October with wine tasting and special dinners. www.tarpys.com

Quote from Eric Reguly in Europe: "Visit an enoteca - wine shop or bar - in Italy and you might find a big brass tap fitted over a sink or a metal counter. No, they are not for beer. They are for wine. You can fill a liter jug for a Euro or two (you have to bring your own containers). The quality can range from rough to better than decent; the value is extraordinary. Pumped wine is the way to go if you´re hosting a big party for undiscerning guests."

Accommodations

Cypress Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea, www.cypress-inn.com Doris Day owns this Pet Friendly hotel.

Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley, www.bernardus.com Beautiful country lodge with wonderful dining.

Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa, Cannery Row, Monterey, www.montereyplazahotel.com. Beautiful hotel on Monterey Bay.

Wayfarer Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea, www.carmelwayfarerinn.com. If you´re on a budget, like a little free wine tasting before dinner, and appreciate breakfast thrown in - this is the place for you! Walk to downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea for shopping and many wonderful restaurants.

Inn at the Pinnacles, Chalone AVA, Monterey County, www.innatthepinnacles.com. A lovely little B&B nestled amongst the grapevines and near Chalone Winery.

Pessagno Winery Highlands House, The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, www.pessagnowines.com. Lovely two-bedroom cottage on the Pessagno Winery Estate.

Pebble Beach Lodge & The Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach. If you´re coming to Monterey Peninsula to golf as well as taste wine, I´d recommend these two wonderful hotels. www.pebblebeach.com

Things To Do In Monterey County

Wine Tasting

Below I´ve listed a few places to both taste and buy wine in Monterey County. For a complete list of Monterey County wineries and places to taste wine visit. www.bestofmontereybay.com

Silver Mountain / Sonnet, across from the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. www.silvermtn.com

A Taste of Monterey, Monterey´s Wine Visitor´s Center. (Also in Salinas) www.atasteofmonterey.com

Bargetto Winery   Located in Cannery Row, Monterey.  www.bargetto.com

Baywood Cellars Tasting Room  Located in Cannery Row, Monterey.  www.baywood-cellars.com

Cima Collina Wine Tasting Bar  Located on the west side of San Carlos, between Ocean and 7th in the Paseo Courtyard, Carmel-by-the-Sea.   www.cimacollina.com

Morgan Tasting Room in the Carmel Crossroads Shopping Village. morganwinery.com

Wine Merchants

Rancho Cellars   At the Barnyard in Carmel.   www.ranchocellars.com

Wine Market  Country Club Shopping Center, Pacific Grove. Here you´ll meet George Edwards, an expert in pairing food and wine. In fact his whole wine store is organized around food and the wines that go well with them. He´s very helpful and searches out those wines that are the best for the cost. www.montereywinemarket.com

Nielson Brothers, Carmel-by-the-Sea, good selection of local Pinot Noirs. www.nielsenmarket.com

Southern Latitudes Wines, Carmel-by-the-Sea, good selection of NZ Pinot Noirs. www.solawines.com

Things To Do Elsewhere

Gardens at COPIA

COPIA - The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, Napa, CA

I love going to COPIA for wine tasting, seminars, wine & food classes, shopping at Cornucopia, and roaming around their demonstration gardens. They also have a wonderful restaurant in Julia´s Kitchen (named after Julia Child). Or if you are heading out to taste wine in Napa Valley stop at the American Market Cafe for a picnic lunch to take along. Future events taking place at COPIA in Napa are:

• October 6, 2007 - Fall Plant Sale. Open to the public. www.copia.org
• November 10, 2007 - Women in Wine Symposium. Lectures, panel discussions, and walk-around winetasting. More Info.
• November 25, 2007 - Celebrating Julia. Cooking demo, light lunch with wine.

Wine Programs at COPIA for September 2007  www.copia.org

Pinot Noir Wine Events

International Wine Festivals Pinnacles Wine Festival October 26 - 28, 2007 -- Marlborough Wine Weekend, Marlborough, NZ January 25 - 26, 2008 -- 2008 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration, Queenstown, NZ March 5-7, 2008 - Cool Climate Wine Show 2008, Balnarring, Victoria AU www.coolclimatewineshow.org.au February 2009 - MPVA Pinot Noir Celebration 2009 Mornington Peninsula Vintners Association (MPVA). Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. mpva.com.au 25 January 2010 - Pinot Noir 2010, Wellington, New Zealand. A four-day festival with Pinot Noirs from around the world. Only held every three years - a very special event. www.pinotnoir2007.co.nz Monterey Wine Festivals November 9-11, 2007 - The 11th Great Wine Escape Weekend, Monterey, CA. montereywines.org February 16, 2008 - Monterey Wine Auction & Gala, Monterey, CA. montereywines.org April 2008 - 5th Annual Pinnacles Wine Festival, Inn at the Pinnacles, Soledad, CA www.innatthepinnacles.com July 2008 - Santa Lucia Highlands Tasting, at A Taste of Monterey, Cannery Row August 2008 - 16th Annual Winemakers´ Celebration, Saturday, from 12-4pm at the Custom House Plaza in downtown Monterey. montereywines.org US Wine Festivals September 15, 2007 - Corralitos Wine Trail, Good opportunity to taste some Santa Cruz Mts Pinots. corralitoswinetrail.com October 26-28, 2007 - Pinot Festival "Pinot on the River", Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA www.pinotfestival.com November 9-10, 2007 - ¡Salud! Oregon´s Pinot Noir Auction, Oregon´s top Pinot Noir producers unite to provide much-needed healthcare outreach and services to seasonal vineyard workers and their families. This two-day event is a rare opportunity to preview the 2006 vintage, bid on unique Pinot Noirs created especially for ¡Salud!, and other exciting auction lots. www.saludauction.org February 9, 2008 - 6th Annual Pinot Noir Summit, Location TBD www.affairsofthevine.com February 8-10, 2008 - Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival. Events for wine lovers and professionals alike. Symposium, visits to vineyards and wineries, grand tasting, winemaker dinners. Some of America's most outstanding Pinot Noir vineyards in one of our most beautiful wine regions. Anderson Valley - Philo, California. Fee: Call for information Time: Call for information Phone Number: 707 895-9463 www.avwines.com March 7-8, 2008 - World of Pinot Noir, The Cliffs Resort, Shell Beach, CA, www.worldofpinotnoir.com March 29, 2008 - Pinot Paradise, Santa Cruz Mountains, www.scmwa.com March 1-2 & 8-9, 2008 - Russian River Barrel Tasting, Sonoma County, CA www.wineroad.com April 2008 - 5th Pinnacles Wine Festival, Chalone AVA, CA www.pinnacleswinefestival.com May 1-4, 2008 - Okanagan Spring Festival, Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada. www.thewinefestivals.com June 8, 2008 - 8th Annual Pinot & Paella Cook-Off, Templeton Community Park, Paso Robles, CA www.pinotandpaella.com

Click Here for a complete list of Pinot Wine Festivals. If you have a Pinot festival you would like to add send a note to jud@pinotnoirs.com

Monterey County Pinot Noirs

Monterey County AVAs

In the early 1960´s the wine community began to realize the potential of producing wine in Monterey County. During this time the University of California at Davis, conducted a study that ranked Monterey County among the top areas in the world for growing fine wine grapes. As a result, the area's production of fine wine grapes grew substantially. Currently, the county's wine industry boasts more than 40,000 planted acres of premium wine grapes. This makes Monterey County the largest premium grape growing region on the continent of North America.

Monterey County´s long growing season lasts, on average, an extra 45 to 60 days longer than other northern viticulture areas. The varying climates allow for roughly forty different grape varieties to thrive.

Monterey County contains seven American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) - Santa Lucia Highlands, Chalone, San Lucas, Monterey, Hames Valley, Arroyo Seco, and Carmel Valley. Of these seven areas, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Chalone stand out as prestigious Pinot Noir producing areas. Parts of the Monterey and Arroyo Seco AVAs also are cool enough to grow Pinot Noir.

The Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association (MCVGA) has a terrific web site, montereywines.org, with lots of information and events.

Santa Lucia Highlands (SLH) AVA
Approved in 1991 by the BATF, the southeast facing terraces of the Santa Lucia mountain range contain 2,300 acres of vineyards. Many compare the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA to the Cote d´Or in Burgundy - calling it the California Cote d´Or. This location provides extended exposure to the sun and the vines take full advantage of the morning sunshine before the afternoon maritime breezes cool the vineyards. This climatic combination results in an especially long growing season, which allows the grapes to fully develop and attain maximum varietal potential. Nearly half of the vineyards are Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and white Riesling make up the other half. With the success of Pinot Noir in the SLH most of the Cabernet Sauvignon is being replanted in Pinot Noir.

Santa Lucia Highlands, River Road Wine Trail
Many winery tasting rooms are open for tasting along the River Road Wine Trail. Many are only open on the weekends so check http://www.manzoniwines.com/ for days and times. All should be pouring Pinot Noir except Marilyn Remark who specializes in Rhone varietals, but still worth a stop.

Tasting rooms open in the Santa Lucia Highlands River Road Wine Trail include:

Marilyn Remark www.remarkwines.com Pessagno Winery www.pessagnowines.com Blackstone Winery www.blackstonewinery.com San Saba Vineyards www.sansaba.com Hahn Estates / Smith & Hook www.hahnestates.com Paraiso www.paraisovineyards.com Scheid Vineyards www.scheidvineyards.com Manzoni Winery www.manzoniwines.com Ventana / Meador Estates www.ventanavineyards.com

Monterey County Wine Trail

The Santa Lucia Highlands contains many grape growers such as Roar, Pisoni, Tondre Grapefield, and the Manzoni Family. They supply grapes to wineries all over California. In the last few years they have decided to produce wine themselves from their grapes. Gary Francioni (Roar) and Gary Pisoni (Pisoni Vineyards) have a joint vineyard called Garys´ Vineyard that has produced award winning wines for many wineries.

Tondre Grapefield
Tondre Alarid and his son Joe, just happened to own a small family farm in the center of the Santa Lucia Highlands when it was discovered that Pinot Noir would do so well there. They planted 6-1/2 acres of Pinot Noir in 1997 and today they have 52 acres planted. They gave the first four vintages away to friends. Now we can all enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Michael Michaud

Morgan Winery
The Santa Lucia Highlands contains many wineries producing wonderful Pinot Noirs but Morgan Winery always stands out in my mind. Restaurant Wine has just named Morgan Winery the Winery of the Year for 2007. They said, "Morgan Winery Delivers Wines of Quality, Consistency, and Value - With a Santa Lucia Highlands Focus". I couldn´t agree more. They have recently opened a tasting room in the Carmel Crossroads Shopping Village. www.morganwinery.com

La Rochelle Winery
Steven Mirassou, 6th generation member of the oldest wine making family in America started La Rochelle in 2005. His goal is to produce Pinot Noir from the best vineyards in California and Oregon and possibly someday New Zealand. His 2004 Garys´ Vineyard reminds me of a fine Burgundy. www.lrwine.com

Santa Lucia Highlands with yellow Lady Banksia Roses in front. Notice the afternoon clouds coming over the mountains.

Chalone AVA
Early Californians planted the oldest producing vines in the county here in 1919. Currently the Chalone AVA contains just under 200 acres of mostly Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. The AVA appellation rises to 1,800 feet, in the Gavilan Mountain range, near the Pinnacles National Monument. This location provides for dramatic daily temperature swings that average highs in the 90's to lows in the 50's. Chalone's soil consists of decomposed granite with moderate amounts of clay and limestone. Unique soil structure and mountainous climate enable this area's grapes to produce wines of very high quality in the classic old world style.

Michaud Vineyard
Michael Michaud pursued winegrowing and winemaking at Chalone Vineyard and on his estate near the Chalone Vineyard ranch for 19 years. In January of 1998, he left Chalone to pursue the family owned vineyard full-time with his wife Carol Hastings Michaud. If you think Chalone isn´t quite the same since Diajeo took it over, then just look next door to Michael Michaud - his Pinot Noirs are wonderful! www.michaudvineyard.com

Monterey AVA

The cooling effects of Monterey Bay result in many micro-climates in Monterey County´s largest AVA. Because of these many micro-climates many grape varieties grow here. Chardonnay constitutes nearly half of the plantings. Other varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling also thrive. The long growing season supplies the white wines with strong fruit characteristics and red wines with bright colors and a smooth style. One winery I´ve identified in the Monterey Appellation as producing premium Pinot Noirs is Figge Cellars.

Figge Cellars
A promising young star in the Pinot Noir hall of fame is Peter Figge. With his first Pinot Noir released this Spring, Figge Cellars, Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2005, he has a good start. With a degree in Viticulture from Davis in 1997, he´s worked at Beringer, Grgich Hills, and Estancia. Recently he´s developed the Pelio Vineyard 6 miles from the ocean out the Carmel Valley Road near Talbot´s "Diamond T" Vineyard. This is a very cool growing area in the Monterey AVA. I tasted the wines in the barrel from the Pelio Vineyard and am excited to eventually taste them in the bottle. www.figgecellars.com

About my scores: I believe that no one gains by embarrassing someone or something, be it my husband, my children, someone´s wine, a co-worker, a subordinate, an enemy or a friend. I therefore, try to never criticize a person or a thing. I believe in keeping my life and surroundings positive. So, I rate all the wines I taste and then draw a cut-off line at 85 points. Who knows, maybe that wine that got an 84 was just having a bad day - why make it worse!

Peter Figge of Figge Cellars pouring Patty a barrel sample of his 2006 Pelio Vineyards Pinot Noir.

About Scoring: As I go around to wine events I hear a lot about wine scoring. At COPIA a few weeks ago at the "Women in Wine Seminar" many of the speakers (not all) seemed to feel that numerical scores for wine were wrong - not the womanly way! They seemed to feel that some kind of "Wishy-Washy" system like good, bad, or ugly would be better. Having been formally educated as a mathematician I first like to see a numerical score. Second, I like to see a description where I can look for key words important to me such as Black Cherry, Dense, Earthy, etc. Third, I recommend to wine enthusiasts that they look for wine critics who like what they like and stick with them - it´s a three step formula for finding wines you´ll enjoy.

With that, here are my scores and descriptions for Monterey County Pinot Noirs.

Wines

Patty's Pinot Closet website lists all the wines reviewed in current and past newsletters. We've included a price taken from the winery website or other retail sources if possible. They are included for relative comparison only, your price may be different. All prices in this newsletter are in US dollars.

©2006 Patty's Pinot Closet. All Rights Reserved.