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 a 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 wine-growing regions in the world. Our estate vineyard sits just on the border between the two appellations. The land across the street is in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, and our property is considered Santa Clara Valley. We’re proud to keep Santa Clara Valley’s winemaking heritage alive in a small way.
Our two acres of Pinot Noir were planted in 2003. The vineyard gets intense summer sun, and the coastal fog frequently approaches within a few miles, keeping temperatures cool. We tend our vines meticulously by hand, limiting crop load to channel the vines’ energy into a small number of high-flavor clusters. We farm the vineyard with techniques that improve, rather than degrade the land. Our vines are mostly dry-farmed, and we preserve organic matter by avoiding tillage. A pond next to the vineyard provides a habitat for frogs, herons, and other wildlife. Our grapes are certified organic by CCOF.
2018 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
“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.”
Specs
Santa Clara Valley AVA, from the Estate Los Trancos Creek Vineyard. Elevation is 550’, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
September 14 through 17 harvest. A six-day cold soak followed, at 40 degrees. We utilized native fermentations, with a total maceration of 12 days.
This Pinot was aged in French oak barrels for 17 months. It is unfiltered. Only 275 cases were produced.
Alcohol is 13.6%, titratable acidity is 0.56 g/100ml, pH is 3.63.
2019 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
Tasting Notes
“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.”
Specs
Santa Clara Valley AVA, from the Estate Los Trancos Creek Vineyard. Elevation is 550’, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
September 12 through 15 harvest. A six-day cold soak followed, at 40 degrees. We utilized native fermentations, with a total maceration of 9 days.
This Pinot was aged in French oak barrels for 17 months. It is unfiltered. Only 225 cases were produced.
Alcohol is 13.6%, titratable acidity is 0.58 g/100ml, and pH is 3.57.
What’s Included
4-bottles:
2x 2018 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
2x 2019 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
Case:
6x 2018 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
6x 2019 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
Preserving the Tradition of Fine Winemaking in the San Francisco Peninsula
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.
We hope you’ll enjoy drinking a wine that speaks to the place you call home.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@klezman I know where this winery is, tucked up the hills out of the heavy heat of the valley. It gets sort of hot, but no more so than a lot of the Napa/Sonoma vineyards where it can be really toasty in the summer.
I was expecting a labrat bottle, but unfortunately it appears to have just left Cali last night, is now in Kentucky (why?), and won’t be delivered until Monday
@chefjess@kaolis Memphis I could understand because it’s the big FedEx hub. Kentucky?? Not sure. Maybe it stopped for a shot of whiskey on the way? (We’ve previously wished for distilled spirits to be sold here but seems the varied state laws make it almost impossible. If the wine producers think shipping wine to multiple states is hard, it seems 10x worse for distilled liquor and in many cases impossible. Strange country.)
@kaolis@pmarin@ttboy23
All of mine have been next day air saver, but it shows UPS didn’t receive it until yesterday evening. KY is the UPS hub. Doesn’t usually go through the hub for air shipments sent to me. We are having storms so maybe a reroute?
The 2019, tastings.com:
85 points. Silver medal. Highly recommended. 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. 8/14/24
2018, tastings.com:
93 points. Gold medal. Exceptional.
Burnt sienna color. 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. 11/9/23
2018, Wine Enthusiast:
90 points. Dried berry, light pepper and forest floor spices show on the nose of this bottling. Dark flowers and a touch of dried meat arise on the palate, which also offers that dark berry element. — Matt Kettmann 5/1/24
@rjquillin Well, if I was painting with a broad brush I’d say I prefer 2018 to 2019 in CA pinot…the '19’s can be a bit over fruited my humble, the '18’s a little brighter…but I know zippo about this area
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir - $45 = 24.99%
This looks like a nice Pinot at an attractive price based on numbers and pro reviews (for what they’re worth) but not having rats makes it a difficult decision for me
I’m Len Lehmann, winemaker at Portola Vineyards and happy to answer any questions. Our Estate vineyard is located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains at 550’. It’s way cooler here than in Napa & Sonoma counties. We dry farm, not irrigating at all during the growing season. Which is saying a lot in California, as we usually get no rain during those 6-7 months of the year. The estate vineyard is certified organic, and meticulously cultivated. The vines are now 21 years old. Our winemaking process is minimal and the wines are aged in French and Hungarian oak for about 17 months.
@LenLehmann welcome to the group.
Kind of an odd ball question that there really may not be a clear answer to, but upthread there is a post about Tastings where their TNs for the two vintages are quite different.
Are these really that different from one another, and if so, how?
@LenLehmann thanks for joining the conversation. Without the rats, can you let us know if you get any oak in tasting, and what AVA in Sonoma would say this wine may or may not compare with. I love Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinots, and find it more than intriguing these grapes are sourced from Portola Valley. Thank you.
I’ve had many a good time near this vineyard riding my bike at Skeggs, riding the moto to Alice’s, and raving on a ranch in San Gregorio.
I love that wine is produced here. If you could build housing there, I’d bet the land could sell for 4 million per acre. Thank goodness we can still farm on small corners of the valley.
The 2018 and 2019 Estate Pinots are pretty similar at this point. Wine Enthusiast gave 90 points to the 2018 and 88 points to the 2019. I find the 2019 to have a more interesting acidic structure. Tastings gave the 2018 93 points and the 2019 85 points (about 6 months ago). The winemaking methods were identical and both vintages were dry farmed.
@LenLehmann appreciate you following up and I definitely saw the reviews mentioning the oak usage, but without the rats, I was hoping you - the winemaker would give their own thoughts on the oak in these specific wines. The use of Hungarian oak was in part the reason for my question. I’m also still interested in a comparison to any flavor profile to any AVA in Sonoma county. As you know, there are a lot of cool climate wines such as the Fort Ross area which produces some beautiful fruit as well as the Sonoma coast designation itself - where both are likely cooler than Portola Valley
@Leatherchair@LenLehmann I’ll also add that this crew is not particularly swayed by “points” or reviews from the pros. We rely on community and winemaker comments to inform us, so the more nerdy detail and information you’re willing to get into the better! (And the more you will sell.)
The barrels we use are all from Francois Freres and coopered in France. Some barrels we purchase are from French oak and some from Hungarian oak, but both are the same species. The barrels are medium toasted and from 2-3 year sun-dried staves.
Low clouds and fog often sit on the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just a couple of miles from us. We benefit from full sun and a long day but the fog cools the air here. During the season, we typically have a 30 degree temperature swing, day to night.
And we take meticulous care of our vines. It’s a vertical trellis system, carefully pruned-down to yield about 2.5 tons per acre. We practice pretty aggressive leaf pulling and lateral removal. No tilling, and our only nutritional input is 1 tablespoon of potassium per vine annually, plus our homemade compost of press waste.
2018 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
93 Points, Tastings.com
Tasting Notes
Specs
2019 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $504/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 10 - Thursday, Mar 13
Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $59.99 $15/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $134.99 $11.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
2019 Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir
Interesting offer. I’ve only had a few SCV wines, and never Pinot. The Valley gets hot though, so I wonder how these wines turn out.
@klezman I know where this winery is, tucked up the hills out of the heavy heat of the valley. It gets sort of hot, but no more so than a lot of the Napa/Sonoma vineyards where it can be really toasty in the summer.
I was expecting a labrat bottle, but unfortunately it appears to have just left Cali last night, is now in Kentucky (why?), and won’t be delivered until Monday
@chefjess so much for overnight delivery…
@chefjess @kaolis Memphis I could understand because it’s the big FedEx hub. Kentucky?? Not sure. Maybe it stopped for a shot of whiskey on the way? (We’ve previously wished for distilled spirits to be sold here but seems the varied state laws make it almost impossible. If the wine producers think shipping wine to multiple states is hard, it seems 10x worse for distilled liquor and in many cases impossible. Strange country.)
@chefjess @kaolis @pmarin two day shipping, I have noticed, flies into Kentucky then they truck it the rest of the way. (To me)
@chefjess @pmarin @ttboy23 Got it…my rattage bottles have all been overnight, perhaps that has changed
@kaolis @pmarin @ttboy23
All of mine have been next day air saver, but it shows UPS didn’t receive it until yesterday evening. KY is the UPS hub. Doesn’t usually go through the hub for air shipments sent to me. We are having storms so maybe a reroute?
The 2019, tastings.com:
85 points. Silver medal. Highly recommended. 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. 8/14/24
2018, tastings.com:
93 points. Gold medal. Exceptional.
Burnt sienna color. 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. 11/9/23
2018, Wine Enthusiast:
90 points. Dried berry, light pepper and forest floor spices show on the nose of this bottling. Dark flowers and a touch of dried meat arise on the palate, which also offers that dark berry element. — Matt Kettmann 5/1/24
fwiw
@kaolis vintage variation?
That’s a big delta between the two from tastings
@rjquillin Well, if I was painting with a broad brush I’d say I prefer 2018 to 2019 in CA pinot…the '19’s can be a bit over fruited my humble, the '18’s a little brighter…but I know zippo about this area
I was selected as a rat as well but also will not be getting my bottle until Monday.
@blublocker What can Brown do you for you?..ha!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Portola Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir - $45 = 24.99%
This looks like a nice Pinot at an attractive price based on numbers and pro reviews (for what they’re worth) but not having rats makes it a difficult decision for me
@winedavid59 can you run this one for an extra day so we can see what the rats have to say?
I’m Len Lehmann, winemaker at Portola Vineyards and happy to answer any questions. Our Estate vineyard is located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains at 550’. It’s way cooler here than in Napa & Sonoma counties. We dry farm, not irrigating at all during the growing season. Which is saying a lot in California, as we usually get no rain during those 6-7 months of the year. The estate vineyard is certified organic, and meticulously cultivated. The vines are now 21 years old. Our winemaking process is minimal and the wines are aged in French and Hungarian oak for about 17 months.
@LenLehmann welcome to the group.
Kind of an odd ball question that there really may not be a clear answer to, but upthread there is a post about Tastings where their TNs for the two vintages are quite different.
Are these really that different from one another, and if so, how?
@LenLehmann thanks for joining the conversation. Without the rats, can you let us know if you get any oak in tasting, and what AVA in Sonoma would say this wine may or may not compare with. I love Sonoma Coast and Russian River Pinots, and find it more than intriguing these grapes are sourced from Portola Valley. Thank you.
@LenLehmann crickets
@LenLehmann @losthighwayz yup, they took the rest of the weekend off
Any interest in Marin/SF split.
I’ve had many a good time near this vineyard riding my bike at Skeggs, riding the moto to Alice’s, and raving on a ranch in San Gregorio.
I love that wine is produced here. If you could build housing there, I’d bet the land could sell for 4 million per acre. Thank goodness we can still farm on small corners of the valley.
The 2018 and 2019 Estate Pinots are pretty similar at this point. Wine Enthusiast gave 90 points to the 2018 and 88 points to the 2019. I find the 2019 to have a more interesting acidic structure. Tastings gave the 2018 93 points and the 2019 85 points (about 6 months ago). The winemaking methods were identical and both vintages were dry farmed.
@LenLehmann Thanks for checking back in.
What do you see in the future for these when properly cellared?
Any additional labs available?
As to oakiness, both Tastings and WE report “judicious” and “light” oak.
@LenLehmann appreciate you following up and I definitely saw the reviews mentioning the oak usage, but without the rats, I was hoping you - the winemaker would give their own thoughts on the oak in these specific wines. The use of Hungarian oak was in part the reason for my question. I’m also still interested in a comparison to any flavor profile to any AVA in Sonoma county. As you know, there are a lot of cool climate wines such as the Fort Ross area which produces some beautiful fruit as well as the Sonoma coast designation itself - where both are likely cooler than Portola Valley
@Leatherchair @LenLehmann I’ll also add that this crew is not particularly swayed by “points” or reviews from the pros. We rely on community and winemaker comments to inform us, so the more nerdy detail and information you’re willing to get into the better! (And the more you will sell.)
The barrels we use are all from Francois Freres and coopered in France. Some barrels we purchase are from French oak and some from Hungarian oak, but both are the same species. The barrels are medium toasted and from 2-3 year sun-dried staves.
It’s easy to over-oak a Pinot noir, and so we use a mix of about 25% each of new, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year barrels.
Low clouds and fog often sit on the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just a couple of miles from us. We benefit from full sun and a long day but the fog cools the air here. During the season, we typically have a 30 degree temperature swing, day to night.
And we take meticulous care of our vines. It’s a vertical trellis system, carefully pruned-down to yield about 2.5 tons per acre. We practice pretty aggressive leaf pulling and lateral removal. No tilling, and our only nutritional input is 1 tablespoon of potassium per vine annually, plus our homemade compost of press waste.
For those of you who are local to the Bay Area, we’d love to give you a tour!
@LenLehmann I used to be…and I visit from time to time. Maybe I’ll figure out how to make it work next time!
just want to give another vote for extending this sale another 24 hours or so until the rats get a chance to have their say