Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/552044
72 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 { sneak preview } In the "sweet spot": Steve McIntyre at his McIntyre Estate Vineyard. Daniel Morgan Lee Dan Lee's Double L Vineyard – going into Morgan Winery's estate bottlings – is located at the northern tip of Santa Lucia Highlands. It has consistently produced some of the most intense yet sharply-acid driven Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in the appellation, as well as Riesling and Syrah. Lee agrees with McIntyre's observation that "Chardonnay is a no-brainer in Santa Lucia Highlands." Another way in which the region goes against the grain is that Pinot Noir is usually the first grape harvested, followed by Riesling and Chardonnay; and Syrah is often not ready until the beginning of November. Says Lee, "The hallmark of Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay is that its tropical fruit character is mixed with minerality—it's not just floral fruitiness. We'll get broad flavors and rich mouthfeels, but always balanced by good, natural acidity. We have to wait for acids to come down when making picking decisions. The trade-off is sometimes sugars can go up while we wait for acids to drop, and wines can finish higher in alcohol than what we want. We alleviate this by picking multiple times at varying sugars." Regarding Pinot Noir, Lee tells us, "SLH Pinot gives you a nice cherry/berry base mixed with smoke, leather, dried herbs, cedar—not the jammy cherry, but complex cherry wrapped in a mélange of extra flavors. The wind and hang-time also result in better color in our reds. Of course, acids are high—pH in the 3.5 range or better—and so a typical Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is a very structured wine, not just an extremely aromatic one." Finally, there is the lesser-known Santa Lucia Highlands grown Riesling. Lee describes it as "lacy . . . petrol with apple and spice." Says Lee, "There is actually quite a bit of Riesling in SLH, although you are less likely to taste them because they go mostly to larger producers."