The aromas exhibit scents of black cherries with hints of spice. The flavors are crisp and intense. They range from black cherries to boysenberries and plum skin. The cool climate of the Highlands adds a note of refreshing acidity to the overall profile making this a delicious Pinot to be enjoyed in its youth or aged for several years for a more mature wine experience.
Winemaking/Vineyard Notes
Our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a blend of Pinot grapes selected from some of our favorite SLH vineyards. The Santa Lucia Highlands have long been a focus for us at Bernardus as we recognized early on the phenomenal potential of this great region.
At Bernardus, all our Pinot Noir grapes are hand-picked, sorted and fermented in small, individual batches. They are then aged in the finest French oak barrels until final blending, just before bottling.
We bottle our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir earlier than our other Pinot bottlings in order to put the focus on its fresh fruit expression. This is an outstanding example of the characteristics that have made the Highlands one of the worldâs most prized Pinot growing regions.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands
Vineyards: Tondre Highlands
Cooperage: Aged for 7 months in 100% French oak barrels, 33% new. Sirugue, Billon & Seguin Moreau coopers
Bottled: June 14th â 22nd, 2018
Alcohol: 14%
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
4x 2017 Bernardus Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Case:
12x 2017 Bernardus Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Winery: Bernardus Winery
Owner: Ben Pon
Location: Carmel Valley, CA
Widely traveled and endowed with impeccable taste, Ben Pon could have chosen anywhere in the world to establish his namesake Bernardus Winery, with the intention of cultivating premier class wines. He selected Carmel Valley, with its west-facing orientation, hot days and chilly nights, and stunning beauty, confident his vineyards there could produce wines to rival the greatest on the globe. More than a quarter-century later, heâs accomplished that not only with his estate Bordeaux blend, called Marinus (after his middle name) but with a powerhouse portfolio of single-vineyard-designated Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $99.99 $25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $229.99 $19.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir - $70 = 23.32%
Wine Searcher Bottle retail average around $34. $37 @ Total Wine, $25 @ K&L (plus $17.50 GSO shipping. $21+ for overnight FedEx. So about $10 more on shipping in CA).
Phase 1 (1st night):
Pop 'n Pour was too cold, with muted aromas and taste. As it warmed up, the aromas and taste showed up nicely. As most reviews noted, nice red fruit (cherry and other red fruit) on the nose and palate. Went well with my sonâs steak, and he noted some spiceness that went well with the seasonings on the steak (porterhouse). It also went well with my rack of lamb, but it really opened up an hour after I finished eating.
Not a lot of tannins, it was really nice and smooth.
Phase 2 (2nd night):
Had turkey for dinner, and it went well with the food as well (stuffing and mashed potatoes). It was still excellent on its own over an hour later.
There wasnât any barnyard nor âwet woolâ aromas on either night.
Thereâs enough left for tomorrow night (). So expect a Phase 3 report tomorrow if thereâs anything new.
Went well with the foods on both nights, but I enjoyed it by itself even better.
My ranking was 91 for the Bernardus. Two thumbs up!Â
Â
I donât have a lot of PN in my cellar, but I will be adding this, especially since itâs better than the Kendric I previously labratted.
Some of the various reviews:
The aromas exhibit scents of black cherries with hints of spice. The flavors are crisp and intense. They range from black cherries to boysenberries and plum skin. The cool climate of the Highlands adds a note of refreshing acidity to the overall profile making this a delicious Pinot to be enjoyed in its youth or aged for several years for a more mature wine experience.
Very light in the glass, this appellation blend is shows off aromas of earth, cherry, dark strawberry and a hint of wet wool. Lively acidity on the palate delivers flavors of tangy boysenberry, wet soil, clay, dried herbs and a hint of earthy juniper.
The robe of this 2017 is a lovely garnet red. The gorgeous aromas express ripe cherry and red berries with accents of toasty oak. On the palate, the flavors reflect the aromas: red fruits and spice with a fresh, crisp finish.
There are some PNâs I donât/didnât like, and others I really like, so unless Iâve tried a PN, I usually skip it. Of course, now I canât remember exactly which ones I tried that I didnât like!
Although the main reason is I have a drinking problem (not a buying one!) ⊠I donât drink fast enough!
I do need to post in gatherings and see if I can get dupes ⊠um, err, wineaux to help me organize my wines on one or more Saturdays. I keep running out of wine storage lockers!
Sadly, they changed their policy (we had several gatherings there before local government stuck their nose into it!), so Iâm limited to 7 people drinking (after some organizing, weâll open some wines!
Generally not a fan of the highlands but bought a few of these at another flash site for $19.99 awhile back. Havenât tried one yet because they are on hold for a convenient shipping date
We were lab rats on this wine as well. I didnât take pictures this time.
The bottle arrived and I got it into my wine fridge to chill off a bit. First impression: nice, handsome screw top bottle.
We had this with a dinner of grilled filet, roasted Brusselâs sprouts and baked potato. While we were cooking we opened the bottle and poured it into our Casemates decanter.
The first thing I noticed was the amazing color. This wine is a beautiful, clear but jammy red. Really a nice looking wine both in the glass and the decanter.
Smell is muted at first. I got a bit of alcohol at first, and like the other lab rat, some red fruit a little later on. Maybe cranberries and raspberries. I also noted a bit of mineral on the nose, maybe the terroir comes through a bit on this one. It takes a bit to open up but it smells good when it does!
This wine is a nice medium-bodied Pinot Noir, probably my favorite that I have lab ratted. First taste I got dried berries, a slight burn from the alcohol and a hint of sweetness. As we enjoyed our glasses, it opened up quite a bit. The flavor developed nicely. The berries were consistent throughout the night but I started to get a hint of dried oregano and some acidity as we enjoyed dinner. Surprisingly I did not get any taste of the minerals I got on the nose.
We finished the bottle that night and agreed we quite liked it. This wine went well with our meal. I suspect it would go well with chicken or even grilled fish, it seems pretty versatile.
If you like fruity, medium bodied Pinots I recommend this wine. It punches beyond its screw top weight. I agree with the other lab rat, Iâd rate this as a solid 91. Good stuff.
@tercerowines well Larry, there are still people who would rather put their money on the blackjack table than in an S&P 500 index fund. Still free to make bad choices in the US of A!
@calibenz@carl669@kaolis@MarkDaSpark that makes sense. My CC did get changed up one time (those darn hackers) maybe thatâs when I lost the insignia. Thanks Sparky
And while we are on this subject (and not the offer) I have been seeing just a few Casemates now and then, that still have the heart logo and I think to myselfâŠI wonder how to get my membership logo back?
Tasting Notes
The aromas exhibit scents of black cherries with hints of spice. The flavors are crisp and intense. They range from black cherries to boysenberries and plum skin. The cool climate of the Highlands adds a note of refreshing acidity to the overall profile making this a delicious Pinot to be enjoyed in its youth or aged for several years for a more mature wine experience.
Winemaking/Vineyard Notes
Our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a blend of Pinot grapes selected from some of our favorite SLH vineyards. The Santa Lucia Highlands have long been a focus for us at Bernardus as we recognized early on the phenomenal potential of this great region.
At Bernardus, all our Pinot Noir grapes are hand-picked, sorted and fermented in small, individual batches. They are then aged in the finest French oak barrels until final blending, just before bottling.
We bottle our Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir earlier than our other Pinot bottlings in order to put the focus on its fresh fruit expression. This is an outstanding example of the characteristics that have made the Highlands one of the worldâs most prized Pinot growing regions.
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$556.75 a Case at Bernardus Winery
About The Winery
Winery: Bernardus Winery
Owner: Ben Pon
Location: Carmel Valley, CA
Widely traveled and endowed with impeccable taste, Ben Pon could have chosen anywhere in the world to establish his namesake Bernardus Winery, with the intention of cultivating premier class wines. He selected Carmel Valley, with its west-facing orientation, hot days and chilly nights, and stunning beauty, confident his vineyards there could produce wines to rival the greatest on the globe. More than a quarter-century later, heâs accomplished that not only with his estate Bordeaux blend, called Marinus (after his middle name) but with a powerhouse portfolio of single-vineyard-designated Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, March 2nd - Wednesday, March 4th
Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $99.99 $25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $229.99 $19.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir - $70 = 23.32%
Full Summary:
2017 Bernardus Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Wine Searcher Bottle retail average around $34. $37 @ Total Wine, $25 @ K&L (plus $17.50 GSO shipping. $21+ for overnight FedEx. So about $10 more on shipping in CA).
Phase 1 (1st night):
Pop 'n Pour was too cold, with muted aromas and taste. As it warmed up, the aromas and taste showed up nicely. As most reviews noted, nice red fruit (cherry and other red fruit) on the nose and palate. Went well with my sonâs steak, and he noted some spiceness that went well with the seasonings on the steak (porterhouse). It also went well with my rack of lamb, but it really opened up an hour after I finished eating.
Not a lot of tannins, it was really nice and smooth.
Phase 2 (2nd night):
Had turkey for dinner, and it went well with the food as well (stuffing and mashed potatoes). It was still excellent on its own over an hour later.
There wasnât any barnyard nor âwet woolâ aromas on either night.
Thereâs enough left for tomorrow night (
). So expect a Phase 3 report tomorrow if thereâs anything new.
Went well with the foods on both nights, but I enjoyed it by itself even better.
My ranking was 91 for the Bernardus. Two thumbs up!Â
Â
I donât have a lot of PN in my cellar, but I will be adding this, especially since itâs better than the Kendric I previously labratted.
Some of the various reviews:
@MarkDaSpark
Thanks for the rattage! Which year Kendric are you comparing? Wasnât it offered here twice or am I thinking of something else?
@knlprez
The 2016 from last March. There was a previous PN (2013) in May, 2018, along with other offers of Syrah and Sangiovese
Oops, forgot to post a pic!
1:
@MarkDaSpark
Just looked back at CT and we had the 2013; did you try both wines? If be interested to hear your thoughts between the three.
@MarkDaSpark I like your countertop.
@knlprez. No, I didnât try the '13.
There are some PNâs I donât/didnât like, and others I really like, so unless Iâve tried a PN, I usually skip it. Of course, now I canât remember exactly which ones I tried that I didnât like!
Although the main reason is I have a drinking problem (not a buying one!) ⊠I donât drink fast enough!
I do need to post in gatherings and see if I can get dupes ⊠um, err, wineaux to help me organize my wines on one or more Saturdays. I keep running out of wine storage lockers!
Sadly, they changed their policy (we had several gatherings there before local government stuck their nose into it!), so Iâm limited to 7 people drinking (after some organizing, weâll open some wines!
@InFrom Son & DiLâs counter.
Mine, well, itâll be on an episode of Hoarders eventually!
@InFrom @MarkDaSpark
Yes, very electric isnât it!
@MarkDaSpark I donât know about organizing, but I can help out by taking the 4 barberas you are holding for me. Iâll even come to you!
@davirom. You going to the Temecula gathering next Saturday?
Generally not a fan of the highlands but bought a few of these at another flash site for $19.99 awhile back. Havenât tried one yet because they are on hold for a convenient shipping date
We were lab rats on this wine as well. I didnât take pictures this time.
The bottle arrived and I got it into my wine fridge to chill off a bit. First impression: nice, handsome screw top bottle.
We had this with a dinner of grilled filet, roasted Brusselâs sprouts and baked potato. While we were cooking we opened the bottle and poured it into our Casemates decanter.
The first thing I noticed was the amazing color. This wine is a beautiful, clear but jammy red. Really a nice looking wine both in the glass and the decanter.
Smell is muted at first. I got a bit of alcohol at first, and like the other lab rat, some red fruit a little later on. Maybe cranberries and raspberries. I also noted a bit of mineral on the nose, maybe the terroir comes through a bit on this one. It takes a bit to open up but it smells good when it does!
This wine is a nice medium-bodied Pinot Noir, probably my favorite that I have lab ratted. First taste I got dried berries, a slight burn from the alcohol and a hint of sweetness. As we enjoyed our glasses, it opened up quite a bit. The flavor developed nicely. The berries were consistent throughout the night but I started to get a hint of dried oregano and some acidity as we enjoyed dinner. Surprisingly I did not get any taste of the minerals I got on the nose.
We finished the bottle that night and agreed we quite liked it. This wine went well with our meal. I suspect it would go well with chicken or even grilled fish, it seems pretty versatile.
If you like fruity, medium bodied Pinots I recommend this wine. It punches beyond its screw top weight. I agree with the other lab rat, Iâd rate this as a solid 91. Good stuff.
@GatorFL Not sure I like that âscrew cap weightâ comment. Would you say the same about cork finished wines?!?!? Come on folks!!!
@tercerowines well Larry, there are still people who would rather put their money on the blackjack table than in an S&P 500 index fund. Still free to make bad choices in the US of A!
@tercerowines Sorry, a lot of people still view screw capped wines as inferior. I sort of still do myself. I know I shouldnât.
@GatorFL My heart is with you, but my head is with @tercerowines. Itâs hard being me.
@GatorFL I hear you and I get it - but I certainly hope to help change that âstereotypeâ - thatâs all . . .
@GatorFL @tercerowines Iâve pulled enough corks for two lifetimes and wouldnât care if I never saw one again. Give me a Stelvin anyday.
@GatorFL @tercerowines
Stay strong Larry! 200 years of cork dominance is apparently not easy to wash away
Any SoCalâers up for a split? 8 bottles available.
Gotta love VMP ⊠shipping included!
@MarkDaSpark ill take 3-4. I also owe
You for some Stillman, right?
@losthighwayz. Ok
And need translation on last sentence.
@MarkDaSpark bottles for me from Stillman Brown offer on September 6
@losthighwayz
Two Primativo bottles, yes
couple people in the MSP want to split a case 3 ways?
iâve got one person. anyone else? anyone? bueller? bueller?
Been a member since May 2018. Just ordered a case - ultra-comedic-marble - and saw that shipping was charged. Anyone seeing the same issue?
@calibenz From the offer page:
4 bottles for $99.99
$25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $229.99
$19.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Shipping has been charged here pretty much since day one I believe.
@calibenz i think you pay shipping unless youâre a very mediocre person.
@carl669 thatâs what I meant. I am indeed very mediocre and have been since 2018
@calibenz but thereâs no icon next to your username. maybe it lapsed?
@calibenz @carl669 sorry, didnât realize you were very mediocreâŠI guess now maybe youâre just sort of mediocreâŠha!
@carl669 @kaolis that was my fear! that somehow I am no longer mediocre⊠hopefully support team replies soon
@calibenz @carl669 @kaolis
If your CC expires, and you donât update in time, your VMP ($5 a month) free shipping disappears.
It was only 1 free year for Kickstarters, then you have to pay the $5 monthly fee.
Be aware that once it lapses, itâs gone forever.
@calibenz @carl669 @kaolis
Note you can see your VMP on the top right âŠ
Whatâs This; Account; VMP; Community
If you still have it, that is.
@calibenz @carl669 @kaolis
Also, while itâs a âKâ here (if you were a Kickstarter), if you are a VMP, it will show a âVâ on MEH.
@calibenz @carl669 @kaolis @MarkDaSpark that makes sense. My CC did get changed up one time (those darn hackers) maybe thatâs when I lost the insignia. Thanks Sparky
And the
for regular members, which was also free shipping for the first year I believe
And while we are on this subject (and not the offer) I have been seeing just a few Casemates now and then, that still have the heart
logo and I think to myselfâŠI wonder how to get my membership logo back?