Belle Glos California

The name "Caymus" registers only one thought for some people, Cabernet Sauvignon, but this young project from the son and grandson team behind Caymus hopes to change all that. Belle Glos, named for Chuck Wagner's mother Lorna Belle Glos-Wagner focuses solely on modern, American Pinot Noir. What most people are unaware of is that Caymus had produced some Pinot Noirs in Rutherford from the 1960's to the early 1990's that were met with some acclaim, but as their reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon grew, so did their focus on "The King of All Grapes". 2002 saw the release of the first vintage of Belle Glos Pinot Noir, then labelled simply "Sonoma Coast", since 2007 they've released three single-vineyard designate Pinot Noirs, as well as the blended "Meiomi" Pinot Noir.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir "Meiomi" California 2009 "Meiomi" was created to showcase the potential of blended Pinot Noir from California's top appellations. The grapes selected came from vineyards within the Sonoma Coast AVA, Santa Maria Valley AVA and Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, each of which produced Pinot Noir with its own character. In blending these wines together, Joseph Wagner wanted to achieve a multi-layered wine that revealed the fruit's origins but also expressed the many flavours of these AVAs. There are important differences in site, soil and climate. In wines produced from the Sonoma Coast AVA, cherry notes are well developed and acidity is slightly higher. In the Santa Maria Valley, the fruit notes are darker and more earthy. In the Santa Lucia Highlands, the wines are full bodied and fruity with sweet tannins and beautiful balance. In combination, these characteristics enhance and build on each other. Clear, dark ruby colour. Rich strawberry/cranberry aromas with a hint of sweet, smoky oak. In the mouth, firm acids yield to full, ripe cranberry flavours and silky tannins. The wine's crisp acidity and moderate tannin seem to extend the fruity, lightly smoke-tinged cranberry finish. "47% Sonoma County, 19% Monterey County, 34% Santa Barbara County. "May-OH-mee." Dark reddish-purple hue in the glass. Demure blueberry and plum sauce aromas with distracting oak char. Teeth-staining core of vivid black raspberry, strawberry, plum and cassis flavours with an underpinning of oak toast and vanillin. Blessed with pillowy tannins. This fruit-driven wine will find fans but the oak influence becomes more prominent over time in the glass leading to a jam-on-toast taste. I preferred the 2008 version of this wine, both of which are widely distributed and found on many restaurant wine lists." Decent Plus, princeofpinot.com, March 1, 2011

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Belle Glos Pinot Noir "Taylor Lane Vineyard" 2010 Just six miles from the Pacific Ocean, Taylor Lane Vineyard lies in a cool, breezy, and often foggy area of the "Occidental Ridges". Because of this locale, it is often difficult to fully ripen the grapes in all vintages, so Vineyardist/Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner has adopted an Italian-style 'pergola' trellis system. This style of overhead canopy maximizes the photosynthetic capabilities of the leaves by exposing them in a "solar panel-esque" layout and minimizes vine-to-vine shading, while achieving excellent air-circulation. Dijon clones 113, 114, and 115 were chosen due to the cool climate and the water retention capacity of the Goldridge Loam soils. These clones produce wines of silky texture, bold berry and earth flavours, and rich, dark colour. The grapes for the 2010 "Taylor Lane Vineyard" Pinot Noir were hand harvested in mid to late September. In the cellar, the fruit was handled very gently, beginning each lot with an extended cold soak and using punch-down and cap-wetting techniques designed to extract the optimal amount of colour and flavour. The wines were aged in French oak barriques (2/3 new, 1/3 seasoned) for nine months, enhancing the refined layers of toast and spice flavours. This beautiful Pinot Noir has a dark garnet colour, scents of rosebuds and an essence of dark cherries with hints of toasty oak. The flavours of bright cherries and freshly tilled earth reflect against a subtle spice background. Full-flavoured, even opulent, yet balanced, with firm acidity. There is a long and lush, fruit-filled finish that seems to call out for another sip. Belle Glos Pinot Noir "Las Alturas" 2009 The newest wine in a series of single-vineyard premium Pinot Noirs, the "Las Alturas" hails from the super-hip Santa Lucia Highlands Appellation. "Las Alturas" translates to "The Highest" and refers to both the positioning of the vineyard itself in the Sierra de Salinas, as well as to the goal of producing a wine of the highest standards. This site in the southern end of the region was chosen for its cool, coastal days and consistent sunshine, as well as its Gloria Sandy Loam soils, which on a steep incline provide wonderful drainage. This vineyard is cropped to just over 1 ton per acre, producing Pinot Noir of both elegance and power. To preserve the fruit intensity that their site, trellis system and clonal selection gave them, the grapes were harvested by hand and fermented in small stainless-steel tanks. Pigeage and remontage techniques aimed at extraction of the finest colours and tannins were employed. Then the wine was matured in two-thirds new, one-third seasoned French barriques for nine months, preserving fruit qualities while adding refinement and finesse. This Pinot Noir has a deep crimson colour. The bouquet is full of black and blueberries and roasted game meats with traces of toasty, cedary oak. The palate is robust yet refined, layering flavours of wild berries, ripe plums, barbecue spices and earth. The rich flavours, firm acidity, and a slight chalkiness in texture finishes long and memorably. "Bold, rich and layered, with dense dark berry fruit that shows touches of spice, wild berry and blackberry and attractive floral scents. Full-bodied, this expands on the finish, where the flavours fan out. 2,852 cases made." 92 points, Wine Spectator, June 29, 2011 "Semi-opaque and ruby hued, this is a dry mid-weight Pinot offering layers of aromas and flavour - on the nose, floral and sweet spice, red fruit and a hint of earthiness. There's deft balance, fine tannin and fresh acidity supporting the rich red cherry/berry flavours. Fine notes of vanilla and cinnamon toast linger on the finish. Enjoy with veal, tomato and mushroom casserole." 4/5 points, winecurrent.com, June 9, 2011

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All wines are available by the unmixed case to Licensees and Private Consumers, subject to availability.

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