Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
{ SOMMjournal.com } 63 and crisp, flinty sensations. We also tasted bigger, fleshier, barrel-fermented versions of 2013 Soberanes Vineyard Chardonnay by Bernardus Winery and Black Kite Cellars—both first class, for this style. In all the bottlings, says Puricelli, "You could taste the struggle of the vines to dig deep down into this extremely rocky soil, giving the wines an elevated minerality with citrus notes and fresh, clean palates—a memo - rable experience!" TONDRE GRAPEFIELD. Located across a dry creekbed just south of Soberanes Vineyard, Tondre Grapefields is a 100-acre planting that has recently emerged as one of the AVA's most distinctive Pinot Noir crus: gently balanced, earthy styles of the varietal bottled under high-profile labels such as David Bruce, La Rochelle, Morgan, Wrath, Joyce, Tudor, Coterie, Savannah- Chanelle, the grower's own Tondre Wines, and a number of others. Like the Franscionis, owner/grower Joe Alarid (with his father Tondre Alarid) traces his family's Salinas Valley farming roots to the 1800s. Although he farms a number of today's favored clones of Pinot Noir, Alarid was particularly keen on showing us his row of ENTAV-INRA® clone 943—one of the few Dijon clones introduced into the U.S. (in 1989) for which the French still collect royalties for every bud sold. Presenting the barely palm-sized clusters of uneven-sized berries (hens and chicks!), Alarid said, "943 is relatively rare, but really special." We field-tasted a barrel sample of Alarid's Tondre 2014 Pinot Noir made purely from 943, which was like lightning in a bottle—impressively lavish, billowing with flowery perfumes, yet fine, delicate, seamless. We also tasted a bottling of La Rochelle 2011 Tondre Grapefield Pinot Noir—a blend of Dijon clones 943 and 115—which seemed to mesh blackberry jam and rose petal perfumes with a distinc - tive scrubby/loamy earthiness, wrapped in a lustrous, pliant light-medium body. Puricelli noted, "The gravelly loam of Tondre seems to give a silky style of Pinot Noir, with a good balance of acidity and underlying earthy, sagebrush and citrus qualities." Benson identified these earth- infused fruit qualities—as manifested in the Wrath 2012 Tondre Grapefields Pinot Noir—as "pastrami, leather and tea over - laying baking strawberry and red plum." Dinner at Giorgio's at 201 Main. Our first full day was completed by a multi- winemaker al fresco dinner at Giorgio's at 201 Main in downtown Salinas with Dean DeKorth (Winemaker/Director, Bernardus Winery), Russell Joyce (Winemaker/Partner, Joyce Vineyards), Michael Mooney (Owner/ Winemaker of Mooney Family Wines), and Stacy Vogel (Winemaker, Miner Family Wines). There were numerous wines of impec - cable provenance poured at Giorgio's. Mr. Benson singles out the Joyce 2014 Tondre Grapefield Riesling, finding "classic petrol, white flowers, apricot and key lime . . . among the best I've ever had from California." Particularly good with Chianti-braised shortribs was a masculine yet suave, meaty, unabashedly oak spiced Mooney Family 2013 Boekenoogan Vineyard Pinot Noir. Perhaps more dramatically contrast - ing were two Pinot Noirs sourced from Rosella's Vineyard, another one of Gary Franscioni's properties located towards the north end of the AVA, next door to McIntyre Vineyard: the Miner Family 2012 777 Rosella's Vineyard was distinctly dif - ferent with its transparent, rosé-like color and hugely perfumed, rose petal–laced fruit contained in a waifish, acid-driven figure, whereas a deeper colored Bernardus 2012 Rosella's Vineyard was couched in a downright opulent, full-fledged, curvaceous figure, yet still crackling in the natural acidity typifying this vineyard. In the Soberanes Vineyard Catherine Morel, Mark Pisoni, Gary Franscioni and Aaron Benson. Morel and Benson hold magnums for winning the grape-leaf thinning competition. Rob Renteria with a Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir cluster. Teresa Patrone with clippers during grape- leaf thinning competition at Soberanes vineyard. Robin Puricelli (left) and Clare Tudor in the Soberanes Vineyard. After a day in the wind, Jordan Villareal warms up by fire at Georgio's at 201 Main in Salinas.