The Riverview Vineyard has an unmistakable signature, an aromatic and textural thread that runs through all of our wines. Our 2020 Pinot Noir is defined by its pure fruit and impeccable balance. The nose includes notes of bing cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, and currant, followed by notes of mocha and vanilla with hints of violet. The palate is clean, plush, and structured with ample weight and a blast of bright red fruit. The finish is silky and elegant.
Winemaking
We specialize in small-lot, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from our estate Riverview Vineyard. Set along the eastern benchlands of the Salinas Valley, this cold-climate site owes its vinous personality to decomposed granite soils, morning fog, and strong winds off Monterey Bay some 40 miles to the north. These unique conditions help distinguish our wines from their brethren in the Santa Lucia Highlands directly across the valley. To preserve the intrinsic character of the Riverview Vineyard, we use sustainable farming practices and innovative winemaking techniques including on-site fermentations with wild yeast.
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 for 13 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.
I bought this BC (before Covid), there’s none to be found downstairs, which is odd because I always hold a couple, so it was that good or I gave them all away? It was the 2016. Was that really the last time it was offered?
IDK but this SIWBM is harder than I thought!
Hello hello!
Glad to be back in the rat world indeed!
An old friend showed up at my door a couple of days ago, and I’ve to say it is always good to see a good friend.
I’ve got the Metz Road Pinot Noir (2016 Vintage) last time it was offered here (yes @ttboy23, it was November 2019 indeed). I found it an excellent PN for the price, without the “too-jammy” characteristic of some California PN, which I liked.
The 2020 is still on that idea of PN: on the tart side, yet full of flavor without hitting you on the face.
So, I chilled the bottle a bit and opened and tasted right away - wine was at around 70F. These are the impressions for the open and pour taste (done with a couple of friends).
Color: pleasant garnet, light.
On the nose: tartness all over the place (that is also given by the temperature, I’m sure). Raspberry, pomegranate, cranberries, basically a feast of tart red fruit.
On the mouth: this is a subtle PN that is ready to drink. What you sniffed is what you get, so cranberries and pomegranate are principals, with a bit of black tea and, one taster recalls, cola.
It was a pleasant drink for a warm and very humid evening. The two friends I drank the first half bottle with liked it, but didn’t love it. Pretty bottle though, they agreed.
This morning: corked bottle left on the counter top was a good idea. This morning the Metz Road jumps more at your nose right away. A warm (maybe a bit of alcohol?) aroma of ripe blackcurrant and bubblegum are there and present. Still the tart fruit - cranberry, raspberry, and pomegranate - but subdued.
On the mouth, considerably less tart. I confirm the tasting profile of the evening before (cranberries and pomegranate, with a bit of black tea and cola). It has more structure than the night before, even though it is on the thinner side - as, in my opinion, a PN should be.
The Metz Road 2020 did not disappoint this time either.
It is an elegant, old style Californian PN, with a good structure and tartness without having too much tannin. It’s a good wine.
Now, price wise. Boy, I guess inflation is hitting everybody.
Last time (almost three yrs ago) this was offered at 119.99 a case. A fifty dollars increase is a lot, but that doesn’t answer the question: is this bottle worth ~14$?
I think 14 is a fair price for it. The wine, especially is left to breath a couple of hours, is worth the price - it is an elegant bottle, outside and in, and a subtle Cali PN.
Is it an amazing deal at ~14$? It is not - calculating inflation the 120$ of the 2019 deal gets to 139$ to today’s money (see https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm ) - but you’re definitely not throwing your money at a cheapo, boombastic, hideous, on-your-face crappy wine either. You get a quality PN here.
@rjquillin I chilled it before opening it - wine was at around 70F - and then left at room temp overnight. The morning taste was more round, less tart, both because of temp (around 75) and having breathe, I guess
@salpo Seems warm but I’ll not quibble with personal preferences. Most all the general consensus I can find seems to suggest 13ºC/55ºF as closer to the preferred serving temp; but ymmv.
@rjquillin 13c for a red is just too low, in my opinion. I think “room temp” as around 18c, and that’s how I try to serve a red. BTW, in this case it was in a normal fridge overnight (5c) and brought out to 27c one hour before drinking, so it cold have been colder than the 20c I mentioned earlier
Very happy to be back ratting after a very long absence (since the old site days). And was very pleased to see the first bottle come our way to taste was a Metz pinot noir. The label, which has that classiness we prefer, was definitely recognizable and the previous post reminded me why. We too had purchased a case of the previous offering and in our case also had none remaining. All though for us that is sadly often the case…
Onto the wine. Relatively busy week leaving Friday night our only good tasting option and I had already committed to a happy hour gathering so we opening the bottle after I got home. Was chilled for about an hour and seemed to be just about the right temperature when opening. Might have effected the nose somewhat for me as I did not get all that much but then again I am not the best judge in that area. My wife on the other hand noticed currant, some stone fruit and a certain earthiness to the wine which definitely lessened after being open a while.
Definitely our style of pinot which means a fuller body and the previously mentioned earthiness and the fruit being more of the currant, darker variety. That is certainly not to say it is heavy handed in any way and as my wife pointed out there is just enough of a tartness to make the wine taste very balanced. I wish we had a better sampling of more typical food to taste with it but we were left with what I brought home from the restaurant which was cheese curds and spicy turkey chili. The wine went rather well with the curds. Not so much with the chili most likely because of the spice level.
We have about a third of the bottle left and our planning to have some cedar planked salmon for dinner this evening so will of course post the results of that pairing tomorrow.
Once again thanks for the opportunity to taste a lovely wine which at the offering price we will certainly be purchasing a case. And of course I will check back later in the day in case there are any questions.
@gtcharlie
Just checking back in after finishing our bottle with the salmon last night. Excellent pairing bringing out more of the cherry and some fruit flavor. The wine still had the tartness to complement the richness of the salmon very well.
Drinkhacker(?) said this July '22:
The 2020 release is just a tiny bit more engaging than last year’s flabbier offering, kicking off with some citrus notes that lead the way to a beefy, somewhat brooding body. Some licorice gives the back end an herbal quality that pairs interestingly with its tart, slightly immature quality, though as with the 2019, the wine feels like it still has some growing to do, coming across as just a little unripe today. Score: B
Winecasual(?) tasted July '22:
92 Points. A pinot that straddles the line between being shy and ostentatious and that delivers a decidedly-red-fruit-led tasting experience.
Medium-intensity ruby in color, this wine has an aromatic, medium-plus-intensity nose of red cherry, rhubarb, strawberry, rosehip and dried cranberry with hints of dried mushroom and blossom.
On the palate the dry, medium-plus-bodied pinot noir has medium-plus-intensity red-fruit flavors suggested on the nose along with hints of raspberry compote supported by medium acidity and ripe, slightly-grippy, medium tannin.
A pinot noir that shoots above its price point in quality-to-value terms.
2020 unfortunately reminds us of the fires. The producer had this to say in Wine Spectator March '21:
Monterey crushed nearly 22 percent fewer tons of grapes in 2020 compared with the previous vintage, including a 37 percent drop in Pinot Noir. But plenty of vintners made wines. Dave Nagengast, vice president of winemaking for Scheid Family Wines, which farms 4,000 acres, reported minimal defects. “We were concerned due to the presence of smoke in the air over the vineyards, but as it has subsequently unfolded, the smoke had little to no impact on the resulting wines,” said Nagengast.
In lots where there were elevated smoke compounds, Nagengast said they used tools to minimize the impact. One of them is a “flash détente” system, a process where grapes are quickly heated to about 180° F and then shifted into a vacuum chamber, where they are cooled. “Flash détente has been used in France for years and can help mitigate unwanted characteristics, such as pyrazines,” said Nagengast. “Because of our extensive testing to identify potential at-risk fruit along with our processing protocols, we’ve experienced no need to do any creative blending, new bottlings or other mitigation methods.”
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $55 = 24.43%
This is just as wonderful as the 2017. It will be an auto buy for me every time. So smooth and flavorful and none of that bit of a sour note I sometimes detect in a Pinot. So glad I ordered 2 cases to share with my casemates!
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir, Estate Grown, Monterey
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $432/case MSRP
About The Winery
Metz Road Wines
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Sep 23 - Tuesday, Sep 27
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $74.99 $18.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $169.99 $14.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I bought this BC (before Covid), there’s none to be found downstairs, which is odd because I always hold a couple, so it was that good or I gave them all away? It was the 2016. Was that really the last time it was offered?
IDK but this SIWBM is harder than I thought!
Hello hello!
Glad to be back in the rat world indeed!
An old friend showed up at my door a couple of days ago, and I’ve to say it is always good to see a good friend.
I’ve got the Metz Road Pinot Noir (2016 Vintage) last time it was offered here (yes @ttboy23, it was November 2019 indeed). I found it an excellent PN for the price, without the “too-jammy” characteristic of some California PN, which I liked.
The 2020 is still on that idea of PN: on the tart side, yet full of flavor without hitting you on the face.
So, I chilled the bottle a bit and opened and tasted right away - wine was at around 70F. These are the impressions for the open and pour taste (done with a couple of friends).
Color: pleasant garnet, light.
On the nose: tartness all over the place (that is also given by the temperature, I’m sure). Raspberry, pomegranate, cranberries, basically a feast of tart red fruit.
On the mouth: this is a subtle PN that is ready to drink. What you sniffed is what you get, so cranberries and pomegranate are principals, with a bit of black tea and, one taster recalls, cola.
It was a pleasant drink for a warm and very humid evening. The two friends I drank the first half bottle with liked it, but didn’t love it. Pretty bottle though, they agreed.
This morning: corked bottle left on the counter top was a good idea. This morning the Metz Road jumps more at your nose right away. A warm (maybe a bit of alcohol?) aroma of ripe blackcurrant and bubblegum are there and present. Still the tart fruit - cranberry, raspberry, and pomegranate - but subdued.
On the mouth, considerably less tart. I confirm the tasting profile of the evening before (cranberries and pomegranate, with a bit of black tea and cola). It has more structure than the night before, even though it is on the thinner side - as, in my opinion, a PN should be.
The Metz Road 2020 did not disappoint this time either.
It is an elegant, old style Californian PN, with a good structure and tartness without having too much tannin. It’s a good wine.
Now, price wise. Boy, I guess inflation is hitting everybody.
Last time (almost three yrs ago) this was offered at 119.99 a case. A fifty dollars increase is a lot, but that doesn’t answer the question: is this bottle worth ~14$?
I think 14 is a fair price for it. The wine, especially is left to breath a couple of hours, is worth the price - it is an elegant bottle, outside and in, and a subtle Cali PN.
Is it an amazing deal at ~14$? It is not - calculating inflation the 120$ of the 2019 deal gets to 139$ to today’s money (see https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm ) - but you’re definitely not throwing your money at a cheapo, boombastic, hideous, on-your-face crappy wine either. You get a quality PN here.
@salpo @ttboy23 The 2017 was offered here May '20 for $59.99 / $129.99
@salpo @ttboy23 Edit… 2017 was offered Sept '20
@salpo did you ever chill this down a bit and taste, or are all your notes at or close to room temp?
Price wise, you also have to consider that '16 was offered in November; so no additional shipping overhead for styro and 2-day delivery built in.
@kaolis @ttboy23 that I missed. Still a good price, 129!
@rjquillin I chilled it before opening it - wine was at around 70F - and then left at room temp overnight. The morning taste was more round, less tart, both because of temp (around 75) and having breathe, I guess
@salpo btw, this can (and should) age a bit more before drinking, but it’s ready as it is
@salpo Seems warm but I’ll not quibble with personal preferences. Most all the general consensus I can find seems to suggest 13ºC/55ºF as closer to the preferred serving temp; but ymmv.
@rjquillin 13c for a red is just too low, in my opinion. I think “room temp” as around 18c, and that’s how I try to serve a red. BTW, in this case it was in a normal fridge overnight (5c) and brought out to 27c one hour before drinking, so it cold have been colder than the 20c I mentioned earlier
Very happy to be back ratting after a very long absence (since the old site days). And was very pleased to see the first bottle come our way to taste was a Metz pinot noir. The label, which has that classiness we prefer, was definitely recognizable and the previous post reminded me why. We too had purchased a case of the previous offering and in our case also had none remaining. All though for us that is sadly often the case…
Onto the wine. Relatively busy week leaving Friday night our only good tasting option and I had already committed to a happy hour gathering so we opening the bottle after I got home. Was chilled for about an hour and seemed to be just about the right temperature when opening. Might have effected the nose somewhat for me as I did not get all that much but then again I am not the best judge in that area. My wife on the other hand noticed currant, some stone fruit and a certain earthiness to the wine which definitely lessened after being open a while.
Definitely our style of pinot which means a fuller body and the previously mentioned earthiness and the fruit being more of the currant, darker variety. That is certainly not to say it is heavy handed in any way and as my wife pointed out there is just enough of a tartness to make the wine taste very balanced. I wish we had a better sampling of more typical food to taste with it but we were left with what I brought home from the restaurant which was cheese curds and spicy turkey chili. The wine went rather well with the curds. Not so much with the chili most likely because of the spice level.
We have about a third of the bottle left and our planning to have some cedar planked salmon for dinner this evening so will of course post the results of that pairing tomorrow.
Once again thanks for the opportunity to taste a lovely wine which at the offering price we will certainly be purchasing a case. And of course I will check back later in the day in case there are any questions.
@gtcharlie
Just checking back in after finishing our bottle with the salmon last night. Excellent pairing bringing out more of the cherry and some fruit flavor. The wine still had the tartness to complement the richness of the salmon very well.
Drinkhacker(?) said this July '22:
The 2020 release is just a tiny bit more engaging than last year’s flabbier offering, kicking off with some citrus notes that lead the way to a beefy, somewhat brooding body. Some licorice gives the back end an herbal quality that pairs interestingly with its tart, slightly immature quality, though as with the 2019, the wine feels like it still has some growing to do, coming across as just a little unripe today. Score: B
Winecasual(?) tasted July '22:
92 Points. A pinot that straddles the line between being shy and ostentatious and that delivers a decidedly-red-fruit-led tasting experience.
Medium-intensity ruby in color, this wine has an aromatic, medium-plus-intensity nose of red cherry, rhubarb, strawberry, rosehip and dried cranberry with hints of dried mushroom and blossom.
On the palate the dry, medium-plus-bodied pinot noir has medium-plus-intensity red-fruit flavors suggested on the nose along with hints of raspberry compote supported by medium acidity and ripe, slightly-grippy, medium tannin.
A pinot noir that shoots above its price point in quality-to-value terms.
2020 unfortunately reminds us of the fires. The producer had this to say in Wine Spectator March '21:
Monterey crushed nearly 22 percent fewer tons of grapes in 2020 compared with the previous vintage, including a 37 percent drop in Pinot Noir. But plenty of vintners made wines. Dave Nagengast, vice president of winemaking for Scheid Family Wines, which farms 4,000 acres, reported minimal defects. “We were concerned due to the presence of smoke in the air over the vineyards, but as it has subsequently unfolded, the smoke had little to no impact on the resulting wines,” said Nagengast.
In lots where there were elevated smoke compounds, Nagengast said they used tools to minimize the impact. One of them is a “flash détente” system, a process where grapes are quickly heated to about 180° F and then shifted into a vacuum chamber, where they are cooled. “Flash détente has been used in France for years and can help mitigate unwanted characteristics, such as pyrazines,” said Nagengast. “Because of our extensive testing to identify potential at-risk fruit along with our processing protocols, we’ve experienced no need to do any creative blending, new bottlings or other mitigation methods.”
fwiw
@kaolis more process at the vineyard besides inflation, shipping, possibly another factor in the price
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $55 = 24.43%
We enjoyed both the previous 2016 and 2017. Going to try a case of this one also.
This is just as wonderful as the 2017. It will be an auto buy for me every time. So smooth and flavorful and none of that bit of a sour note I sometimes detect in a Pinot. So glad I ordered 2 cases to share with my casemates!