Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir

Tasting notes & discussion 37

Typically $42/bottle from Portola Vineyards
Vintage 2018 & 2019 from the Santa Clara Valley
Available for AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Portola Vineyards: “Since 2005, our family has been producing hand-crafted vintages that reflect the terroir of the Peninsula foothills, and sharing them with the local community. Many are surprised to hear that the hills above Silicon Valley have a rich viticultural history. These foothills were once California’s premier winegrowing region, and the small vineyards here today continue to produce phenomenal wines. We follow a minimalist philosophy in our winemaking, including the use of native yeast fermentations, to let the essence of our region shine through.”

For Santa Clarity

TASTING NOTES:
2018 - “Aromas and flavors of red and black cherry, mocha mushroom coffee, and cocoa dusted strawberry and cranberry with a velvety, lively, dry medium body and a tingling, interesting, medium-length finish imparting notes of tart cherry, forest floor, and cocoa with crunchy, chewy, medium, well-integrated tannins and light oak flavor. A well balanced Pinot Noir with fresh fruit, judicious use of oak, and a soft earthiness to round out the wine.” (AbV 13.6%, pH 3.63, TA 0.56 g/100mL)

2019 - “Ruby color. Aromas and flavors of tart red cherry, cherry cough drop, plum and cassis, and coffee grounds and cedar with a satiny, lively, dry light-to-medium body and a tingling, interesting, medium-length finish with notes of tart cherry, cassis, mocha, and burnt toast with medium tannins and light oak flavor. A light and savory, very food friendly Pinot Noir with vibrant acidity to balance and cut through richer meat courses.” (AbV 13.6%, pH 3.57, TA 0.58 g/100mL)

VARIETALS: Pinot Noir.

BARRELS: 17 months in French oak.

PAIRS WITH: N/A

ABOUT SANTA CLARA VALLEY WINES: “When most people think about California’s wine country, they think of Napa and Sonoma. So you may be surprised to learn that the Santa Clara Valley was once the epicenter of northern California’s wine industry. This area has a rich history of viticulture. Grapes were planted at Mission Santa Clara as early as 1798. These grapes didn’t make very good wine, but in the 1800s the Gold Rush brought French immigrants who were knowledgeable about vines, climate, and soils, and they saw the potential of the Santa Clara Valley as great viticultural territory.

By the late 1800s, the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains were dotted with vineyards — there were more than 800 acres of vines in Portola Valley and Woodside alone. There were also about 300 acres of vines and several small wineries in the town of Mayfield, which is now Palo Alto. Leland Stanford planted about 150 acres of grapes on his property just North of Mayfield, and produced 60,000 gallons of wine a year out of his winery. Around this time, Santa Clara County was recognized as one of the top wine-producing counties in the state.

Though the Santa Clara Valley is no longer well known for its grapes, viticulture is still strong in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The region is home to more than 70 wineries and over 200 small vineyards, and remains one of the top winegrowing regions in the world.”

Who's buying this?

How are you buying your bottles?

Ever visited the vineyards/wineries around the Santa Clara Valley/Santa Cruz Mountains?

Several times

Several times
Once or twice

Once or twice
I want to

I want to
Nope

Nope

37 votes