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.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $50 = 27.77%
A couple of more pro reviews since that Aug 22 offer:
Wine Enthusiast had this to say:
92 Points. Editors’ Choice. This bottling comes from a very unique in-vineyard experimentation regime that is quickly showing fascinating results. Aromas of rugged boysenberry, smoked meat, crushed rocks and earth lead the nose into a tensely woven palate, where black plum plays with thyme, sagebrush and green peppercorn flavors. — Matt Kettmann 10/1/22
Mr Suckling:
A savory pinot noir here, showing a splash of white pepper to the mossy herbs, cranberries and orange peel. Juicy and bright, with a fine thread of tannins and a savory, slightly herbal finish. Drink now. (date ?)
$40 cheaper case price today, was $169.99 in August.
Spectator:
86 Points. Shows easygoing mulled strawberry and raspberry notes, laced with light tobacco and sous-bois hints on the slightly rustic finish. Drink now through 2024. 2,762 cases made. –JM
Reverse Wine Snob just had this a week or so ago, looks like it was $60/4 pack:
The 2020 Metz Road Riverview Vineyard Pinot Noir begins with a very enticing aroma of cherry, raspberry and strawberry plus a little bit of an earthy, rhubarb note and touches of cola, spice and licorice. It’s a great start.
Tasting reveals a smooth, classic Pinot with juicy fruit plus nice streaks of spice, earth, a little black tea and some white pepper. What a wonderful combination of flavors! Everything is really well integrated and balanced in the mouth and while it has plenty of complexity, it is still quite easy to drink. This is just downright delicious!
It ends dry and with lots of lingering flavors on the very long finish.
I bought a case of this early in my case mates career. It’s fine. It’s not kosta Browne but it’s also like 10$ - so the fact that the label looks nice and the juice is drinkable is really all you can ask. Serve it to your family or neighbors that don’t drink wine.
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, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 13 - Tuesday, Nov 14
2020 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
Previous offer:
8/27/22
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 Metz Road Pinot Noir - $50 = 27.77%
A couple of more pro reviews since that Aug 22 offer:
Wine Enthusiast had this to say:
92 Points. Editors’ Choice. This bottling comes from a very unique in-vineyard experimentation regime that is quickly showing fascinating results. Aromas of rugged boysenberry, smoked meat, crushed rocks and earth lead the nose into a tensely woven palate, where black plum plays with thyme, sagebrush and green peppercorn flavors. — Matt Kettmann 10/1/22
Mr Suckling:
A savory pinot noir here, showing a splash of white pepper to the mossy herbs, cranberries and orange peel. Juicy and bright, with a fine thread of tannins and a savory, slightly herbal finish. Drink now. (date ?)
$40 cheaper case price today, was $169.99 in August.
fwiw
@kaolis well hey Gus Clemens checked in July '23, seems maybe a little marketing too but…
@kaolis Back to the 9/9/20 price (of the 2017)
@kaolis a little distracted today…
Spectator:
86 Points. Shows easygoing mulled strawberry and raspberry notes, laced with light tobacco and sous-bois hints on the slightly rustic finish. Drink now through 2024. 2,762 cases made. –JM
Reverse Wine Snob just had this a week or so ago, looks like it was $60/4 pack:
The 2020 Metz Road Riverview Vineyard Pinot Noir begins with a very enticing aroma of cherry, raspberry and strawberry plus a little bit of an earthy, rhubarb note and touches of cola, spice and licorice. It’s a great start.
Tasting reveals a smooth, classic Pinot with juicy fruit plus nice streaks of spice, earth, a little black tea and some white pepper. What a wonderful combination of flavors! Everything is really well integrated and balanced in the mouth and while it has plenty of complexity, it is still quite easy to drink. This is just downright delicious!
It ends dry and with lots of lingering flavors on the very long finish.
ok enough fwiw, time to walk the pup in a few
I bought a case of this early in my case mates career. It’s fine. It’s not kosta Browne but it’s also like 10$ - so the fact that the label looks nice and the juice is drinkable is really all you can ask. Serve it to your family or neighbors that don’t drink wine.
Anyone in RI or nearby MA / CT interested in a split?