Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 125 2017 Santa Cruz Mountains SOMM Camp Sommeliers Jeff Bareilles – Jeff Bareilles Consulting (CA) Jienna Basaldu, CS, CSW – 58 Degrees & Holding Co. (Sacramento, CA) Traci Dutton – The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena, CA) Jesus Evangelista III, CS – Montage Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills, CA) Rafael Garcia – L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Las Vegas, NV) Alicia Kemper – fundamental LA (Los Angeles, CA) Joe Lapi – RPM Steak (Chicago, IL) Albert Letizia – The Bazaar by José Andrés (Los Angeles, CA) Robin Puricelli – Lido Restaurant at the Dolphin Bay Resort (Shell Beach, CA) Corinna Strauss – La Folie (San Francisco, CA) Seth Wilson – RPM Steak (Chicago, IL) 2017 Santa Cruz Mountains SOMM Camp Wineries Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery, alfarowine.com Armitage Wines, armitagewines.com Bargetto Winery, bargetto.com Big Basin Vineyards, bigbasinvineyards.com Burrell School Vineyards & Winery, burrellschool.com House Family Vineyards, housefamilyvineyards.com Kathryn Kennedy Winery, kathrynkennedywinery.com Kings Mountain Vineyards, kingsmountainvineyards.com LIOCO Wine Company, liocowine.com Martella Wines, goldenvineyards.com Mindego Ridge Vineyard, mindegoridge.com Mount Eden Vineyards, mounteden.com Partage Winery, partagewinery.com Rexford Winery, rexfordwinery.com Rhys Vineyards, rhysvineyards.com Ridge Vineyards, ridgewine.com Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, santacruzmountainvineyard.com Sante Arcangeli Family Wines, santewinery.com Ser Winery, serwinery.com Silvertip Vineyards, silvertipvineyards.com Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards, fogartywinery.com Waxwing Wine Cellars, waxwingwines.com Woodside Vineyards, woodsidevineyards.com Wrights Station Winery, wrightsstation.com influenced by marine air from the Pacific less than nine miles away. While planted strictly to Dijon clones, the 2013 Mindego Ridge Pinot Noir tasted strongly of its place—beautifully per t, airy, woodsy, floral perfumes with rose petal lilt and delicacy on the palate, tightened by a cool climate acidity. Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards. At our final stop—Thomas Fogarty's estate, located atop a high point (2,000 feet) along Skyline Boulevard—we started out with a horizontal of 2014 Pinot Noirs, representing eight of this iconic producer's single-vineyard bottlings. Three highlights: A concentrated 2014 Thomas Fogarty Razorback Vineyard Pinot Noir—a lower elevation (1,400 feet), often fog-cloaked Skyline site planted to Swan and Dijon clones, typically exuding its surrounding flora of bay laurel, oak and madrone. An equally meaty 2014 Rapley Trail, located just below the winery's Skyline estate—characteristically pungent with smoked peppercorn spice, incense and pine needle-nuances, reflecting its steep, windswept, southeast-facing slope (1,650 feet), surrounded by Douglas fir. In almost stark contrast, Thomas Fogarty's 2014 La Vida Bella Vineyard Pinot Noir—grown in the beach sand–like soil and more climate-influenced condi - tions of Corralitos, resulting in more floral, fluid, finely textured and leafy nuanced red berry character. Mountain Style Chardonnays. Our final activity at Thomas Fogarty's was a tasting of Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnays typifying the mountain grown style of this varietal. Case in point: the 2014 Thomas Fogarty's Santa Cruz Mountains bottling, with its silky, compact feel (a moderate 13% alcohol), and tension built up by minerality and citrus streaming through the nose all the way into the finish. The native yeast–fermented, 1.5 ton/acre 2013 House Family Estate Chardonnay was a similar rendering of minerality, punctuated by creamy oak and citrus toned fruit; while the toasted brioche-like 2014 Silver Mountain Chardonnay flashed fainter notes of citrus and mineral amidst Hungarian oak influences. The Somm Campers at Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery, located in the southern end of Corallitos/Pleasant Valley, a little more than four miles from Monterey Bay.