Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/522996
{ SOMMjournal.com } 75 to Pinot Noir in 2001, co-owned and farmed by Talley Vineyards' Brian Talley, in three- way partnership with Kynsi Winery's Don and Gwen Othman and Stephen Ross Wine Cellars' Steve Dooley. For many of our sommeliers, this visit was a highlight. Says Jeremy Meyer of the Topanga-based Garber & Co., "What I found really unique about the region is the strong sense of camaraderie among winemakers—something you don't see as much in other wine regions. This really hit home sitting under the trees at Stone Corral Vineyard, tasting the Pinot Noirs of three winemakers working together in one vineyard. It was amazing to see that kind of harmony, each producing slightly different wines, all of them crazy delicious." Talley told us, "The genesis of Stone Corral Vineyard was winemakers who got tired of talking to grape growers about their vision. Each of us owns a third of each block, and we farm to each one's specifications." Steve Dooley—who has been making wine in Edna Valley since the late 1980s (originally at Edna Valley Vineyard, when it was part of the Chalone Wine Group portfolio)—added, "The vineyard has been giving us small clusters of concentrated fruit since the very first vintage [2003], but we probably didn't hit our stride until about four years ago, when we started to convert to more cane pruning." Talley concurred, saying, "We started out with cordon pruning, but in some years the vines were out of balance—focused more on growing leaves than maturing fruit. Steve thought the low yields, at one ton per acre, wasn't making the vineyard sustainable. So then we went to more buds by leaving more wood; we found that not only were we increasing yields, but our wines were finding a better balance. Our yields are still low, more like two and a half tons per acre, but we're making finer Pinot Noir." While there was similar thread of soft, buoyant, red berry and rose petal notes in each of the bottlings presented by the three winegrowers, each one possessed a "house" stamp: the prototypically gentle, curvaceous Kynsi 2012 Stone Corral Vineyard Edna Valley Pinot Noir was also intertwined with an earthy, rosemary twig-like complexity; the Talley 2012 Stone Corral Vineyard Edna Valley Pinot Noir was narrower, more sharply edged, yet sleek, savory and concentrated; and the Stephen Ross 2012 Stone Corral Vineyard Edna Valley Pinot Noir was the most svelte, flowery and promiscu- ous, with sweet peppercorn and Chinese five-spice-like nuances. After Stone Corral Vineyard we went on walks in the Talley Vineyards properties, starting with Oliver's Vineyard, planted entirely to Chardonnay, located next to Stone Corral on a lower bench. The Talley 2013 Oliver's Vineyard Edna Valley Chardonnay typified both the region and Talley's well known style: sleek, edgy with acid, redolent Don Othman, owner/winermaker/grower for Kynsi Winery (right) with Fred Dame, MS, VP/ Prestige Accounts for American Wine & Spirits (a division of SWS of CA). Brian Talley of Talley Vineyards. "The key distinction between Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley is minerality." Steve Dooley, owner/grower/winemaker, Stephen Ross Wine Cellars.