The Riverview Vineyard has an unmistakable signature, an aromatic and textural thread that runs through all of our wines. Our 2017 Pinot Noir is defined by its pure fruit and impeccable balance. The nose includes black cherries, raspberries and currants with a twist of vanilla underneath. The palate is clean, plush, and structured with ample weight and a blast of bright red fruit. The finish is silky and elegant.
Wine & Vineyard Notes
Our estate Riverview Vineyard is a 340-acre, cold-climate (Region 1), sustainably farmed, benchland property that overlooks the Salinas River. It is situated on the east side of the Salinas Valley just below the Pinnacles National Park. This property features granitic soils, great exposure and little protection from the strong winds that scrub the valley every afternoon. It is planted to an assortment of varieties, clones and rootstocks specifically matched to the various micro-climates, soils and aspects of the terrain. The namesake Metz Road runs alongside the property.
The grapes were hand-picked in the early morning hours, brought to the winery and carefully destemmed to preserve the whole berries. Fermentation was done in small, open-top tanks with punch-downs three times a day to gently extract color and tannins. A portion of the must was un-inoculated so the native vineyard microflora could initiate fermentation. Other lots were inoculated with various isolated vineyard non-saccharomyces yeasts as well as select Burgundian strains. After fermentation, the wine was pressed into a stainless-steel tank for settling, then racked to 100% French oak barrels (35% new) for 15 months. The final blend was a selection of only our top barrels.
Our philosophy behind Metz Road is simple: craft a single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that exemplify the best of Monterey. Metz Road was created out of our desire to express the unique terroir of a single vineyard site. Each vintage, we select the top vineyard block to craft a wine that is true to the varietal and perfectly embodies the site-specific characteristics, the soul, of the vineyard.
With 11 estate vineyards, we are blessed with an amazing selection of acres to work with from vintage to vintage. In fact, we use less than 1% of the grapes we grow for our Metz Road wines. The vines are farmed for ultra-premium quality and the grapes are hand-picked at optimum ripeness in the early morning. In the winery, the grapes are hand-sorted, the juice is fermented in small lots and the wine is aged in 100% French oak barrels. Our mantra is gentle handling and minimal intervention, allowing the distinctive terroir of a single vineyard site to shine.
@ddeuddeg That’s a good point. 43° is HOT, especially for a (relatively) coastal region. Maybe they should have called Clark to RO some of the alcohol out!
@rjquillin Right! Thanks for the link.
Got the 2016 last Nov: it is an excellent wine indeed, and very pleased with its “pinot noireness” so to speak.
Now, at 15% I don’t know though…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $50 = 27.77%
Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 (Nov 2019),
11/1/2019, 90 points
(Metz Road Winery Pinot Noir Riverview Vineyard Central Coast Red) Light vivid red. Fresh red berry and floral aromas are complemented by a spicy nuance that builds steadily in the glass. Shows good heft as well as energy to the strawberry, cherry and candied rose flavors, which take a sweet turn on the back half. Finishes supple and quite long, with repeating red fruit character and smooth, harmonious tannins that add grip to a lingering red fruit note. (Drink between 2021-2027)
88 Points. From a vineyard on the eastside of the Salinas River, this bottling begins with aromas of baked cherry, smoked meats and cardamom dust. It’s a tad thin on the palate, but offers pleasing flavors of cranberry, smoked beef and hibiscus. MK 9/1/20
@sandbarhappy I was wondering if the abv had anything to do with that myself. I enjoyed the 2016, was worth the price. Just finished the last one a week or so ago. Was a few $$ cheaper.
I bought the 16 when it was here last time and was delighted - all but one bottle remains from the case. Assuming we get some rats on here that assuage my fears around the 15% abv I’m in for a case
Agree with everyone else on the 2016…it’s my wife’s 2nd favorite red wine in the house right now and drinks well above it’s price point. Also hoping for rats on this 2017!
Super classy musical selection! Brahms’ Intermezzo in A minor suggests a certain class and sophistication in the wine, no? Or maybe it was just an irresistible pun…
The 2016 was excellent QPR. I’m down to one bottle. Not getting hung up on %alc (FWIW, one review had the 2016 @14.5%). In for a case…
flippant-nuisance-tinkerbell
![]
I would certainly suggest this for someone who needs a quality house Pinot Noir, PN table wine, or PN budget cellar defender. My experience is with the previous vintage. For Pinot Noir, hard to get good on a budget; casemates proves otherwise here. We drank our last 2016 a few weeks ago, and were of course pleased.
I’ll be passing because I’ve got a strict budget, and just stocked up on budget whites (here), and am in the red. I’ve got a couple Onesta Cinsaults and some of those Beaujolais from last month, for my PNish cellar defending for the next few months. Must . . . have . . . discipline. . .
Got this yesterday and had to have a glass with dinner. Needless to say, but we drank the whole bottle not just two glasses. It is an awesome Pinot noir.
2017 Metz Road Pinot Noir, Riverview Vineyard, Estate Grown, Monterey
Tasting Notes
91 Points, Gold Medal ~ 2019 Harvest Challenge
Wine & Vineyard Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $432/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Sep 28 - Tuesday, Sep 29
Metz Road Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $59.99 $15/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $10.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Metz Road Pinot Noir Riverview
How the heck do you get a 15% alcohol Pinot noir? Especially if you’re in a supposedly cool climate?
@klezman Could be the major September heat wave in 2017? 43° C. is pretty hot, even for the warmer wine regions.
@ddeuddeg That’s a good point. 43° is HOT, especially for a (relatively) coastal region. Maybe they should have called Clark to RO some of the alcohol out!
The 2016 was up last November; 14%
@rjquillin Right! Thanks for the link.
Got the 2016 last Nov: it is an excellent wine indeed, and very pleased with its “pinot noireness” so to speak.
Now, at 15% I don’t know though…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $50 = 27.77%
Review By Josh Raynolds (Vinous)
Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 (Nov 2019),
11/1/2019, 90 points
(Metz Road Winery Pinot Noir Riverview Vineyard Central Coast Red) Light vivid red. Fresh red berry and floral aromas are complemented by a spicy nuance that builds steadily in the glass. Shows good heft as well as energy to the strawberry, cherry and candied rose flavors, which take a sweet turn on the back half. Finishes supple and quite long, with repeating red fruit character and smooth, harmonious tannins that add grip to a lingering red fruit note. (Drink between 2021-2027)
And from Wine Enthusiast:
88 Points. From a vineyard on the eastside of the Salinas River, this bottling begins with aromas of baked cherry, smoked meats and cardamom dust. It’s a tad thin on the palate, but offers pleasing flavors of cranberry, smoked beef and hibiscus. MK 9/1/20
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/metz-road-2017-riverview-vineyard-pinot-noir-monterey/
fwiw
also was up on reverse wine snob in July, 3 bottles for $49.99 plus the $10 ship
@kaolis thin at 15%? That seems close to an oxymoron.
@sandbarhappy I was wondering if the abv had anything to do with that myself. I enjoyed the 2016, was worth the price. Just finished the last one a week or so ago. Was a few $$ cheaper.
So tempted, but also leery… at this point I’m going to wait and see if there are any rats. I really hope so!!!
Nice acidity for such high alc. Also interested in rats.
@canonizer Also a good point - tartaric addition, maybe?
@canonizer @klezman
While the pH at 3.56 would indicate decent acidity, I thought the TA was relatively low at 5.6, somewhat offsetting the pH.
@chipgreen @klezman guess we can keep an eye on further reviews.
I bought the 16 when it was here last time and was delighted - all but one bottle remains from the case. Assuming we get some rats on here that assuage my fears around the 15% abv I’m in for a case
@pete0744 Uh . . . did you actually mean to say that you’ve only had one bottle?
@rpstrong nope. Quarantine has been… interesting.
Agree with everyone else on the 2016…it’s my wife’s 2nd favorite red wine in the house right now and drinks well above it’s price point. Also hoping for rats on this 2017!
/giphy where are the rats?
Super classy musical selection! Brahms’ Intermezzo in A minor suggests a certain class and sophistication in the wine, no? Or maybe it was just an irresistible pun…
Welp. Not looking like there are going to be any lab reports. Maybe this could be announced at the beginning so I’d have longer to dither?
Now I have to flip a coin, which does not constitute an educated purchase - at least in my book… your mileage may vary.
/giphy avid-floral-squid
I’m in!
Flirtatious-thoughtless-grass
The 2016 was excellent QPR. I’m down to one bottle. Not getting hung up on %alc (FWIW, one review had the 2016 @14.5%). In for a case…
flippant-nuisance-tinkerbell
![]
@PaleMongo … always wanted to do that!
I would certainly suggest this for someone who needs a quality house Pinot Noir, PN table wine, or PN budget cellar defender. My experience is with the previous vintage. For Pinot Noir, hard to get good on a budget; casemates proves otherwise here. We drank our last 2016 a few weeks ago, and were of course pleased.
I’ll be passing because I’ve got a strict budget, and just stocked up on budget whites (here), and am in the red. I’ve got a couple Onesta Cinsaults and some of those Beaujolais from last month, for my PNish cellar defending for the next few months. Must . . . have . . . discipline. . .
Onesta Cinsaults… one of my favs now, along with Refugio Petite Sirah.
If it doesn’t sell out here they can put it on the Main Site and call it Meh Road Pinot Noir.
Wife really likes Pinot Noir so I can easily blame this one on her even though I will drink some ! In for 12
Eh, 14%? 15%? I’m willing to take the risk. Gotta beef up the Covid Cellar.
/giphy ridiculous-subdued-kitten
Anyone from MA or CT up for a split?
I can’t say no to nice Pinot Noir…
Checked the 16. It’s 14.5% abv and it’s great so I’m in for a case.
Why the heck not…I just noticed tonight that I’m one bottle away from finishing another case of every-day pinot.
/giphy contentious-mushy-mango
Got this yesterday and had to have a glass with dinner. Needless to say, but we drank the whole bottle not just two glasses. It is an awesome Pinot noir.
EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!
Ordered 9/10 6pm delivered 9/17 (FAST) and had to try as well! Kudos on fast shipping! Great bottle of wine! Cheers!