Birichino Saint Georges Central Coast Pinot Noir 2018

For the first time, the vast majority of Saint Georges comes from three blocks farmed by George Besson off the eastern flank of Santa Cruz Mountains. Though we have included a small amount of wine from Lilo, Enz & Boer Vineyards, all of which are more or less up in the hills, it is not a mountain wine. Nonetheless, no adjective describes this wine better than “alpine.” To our palate, the wine recalls the pinot noirs from the Jura or Valle d’Aosta – some distance from us – more so than those from Corralitos in the Santa Cruz Mountains, or the Santa Lucia Highlands roughly 10 and 40 miles away, respectively. We have come to learn that this small corner of the Santa Clara Valley marks the red wines produced there by the scent of botanical extracts, mountain herbs, and cherry liqueur. The Saint Georges is bottled earlier than the single site wines, and carries less acidity and tannin. It is generally ready to roll right out of the gate. As always, this wine was vinified under the mysterious and prismatic auspices of wild yeast. Elevage was just shy of 1 year in cement and quite old barriques before we bottled, unfined and unfiltered, in early Fall of the following vintage.