Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
{ SOMMjournal.com } 61 MCINTYRE VINEYARD. In our second stop at grower/winemaker Steve McIntyre's McIntyre Vineyard—located on lower slopes, half-way between the middle and north end of the appellation—McIntyre carved out a trench between his vines to demonstrate the deep root penetration in the region's predominant Chualar loam (sandy alluvial fan) soil. According to McIntyre: "In SLH we've developed our own definition of terroir, which is 'everything we can't control.' We can't control the wind, which can get miser - able at times, and our maximum tempera- tures are at 12 noon, not 4 p.m. like the rest of the West Coast. This slows down the vines, but on the plus side, they have more time to work on concentrating fruit." In the field we tasted a ferociously concentrated, yet refined and filigreed McIntyre 2013 Estate Pinot Noir, illustrating the tense, yet successful, relationship between wine - grower and nature in this appellation. Wrath's Sabrine Rodems was also pres- ent to show her silken-fine Wrath 2012 McIntyre Vineyard Pinot Noir. Rodems told us: "The key for me is waiting for a taste that crosses from tart to juicy. Out of the five SLH vineyards I source from, McIntyre tends to be highest in acid, so I do some whole- cluster fermentation because stems help pull out some of the acid. I end up with flowery, spicy perfumes, almost like jasmine, always with red cherry and young plum qualities." PETERSON VINEYARD. Our third stop of the day was at a newly planted growth, tentatively named the Big Bench Vineyard by the owners of Peterson Vineyard, located on the slopes (up to 1,600 feet in elevation), smack dab in the middle of the appellation. Even with blinding midday sun splashing down on this spectacular site overlooking the expanse of Salinas Valley, a stiff, cutting wind had sommeliers reach - ing for their jackets while tasting the high fruit–toned Mansfield-Dunne Pinot Noirs. Well-known SLH winemaker Ed Kurtzman crafts the Mansfield-Dunne wines for the estate's owners John and Lynn Peterson— as well as his own laser-sharp August West Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Catherine Morel of Bourbon Steak in Glendale, CA tells us, "At the new Peterson Vineyard we learned what a long and difficult process it is to obtain permits, locate spots for wells, getting roads built and clearing wild scrub and rocks just to get vineyards ready for planting in remote parts of Santa Lucia Highlands." This goes to show, Thompson adds, "how different this region is . . . it's not about wineries, tourist destinations or winemaker 'personalities' [there are only a handful of tasting rooms in SLH, and fewer winemaking facilities], but rather vineyards, and the determination of vineyard owners." In one dramatic comparison, Peterson tasted the sommeliers—seeking shelter from the chilling wind by sitting out in the sun, on the ground of Peterson's terrace— on his delicate, rose petal– and spiced cherry cola–scented Mansfield-Dunne 2013 Peterson Vineyard Pinot Noir (from his more mature planting, on lower slopes along River Road) alongside a fuller scaled, yet tart edged, scrubby herb (like woody wild sage) and perfumed August West 2013 Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir. The latter, we learned, coming from a high- elevation (1,100-foot) site owned by Gary Franscioni, located in the southern section of the appellation, where you find shallower rocky soils (compared to the fairly deep Chualar sandy loam of Peterson's vineyard) and a slightly warmer climate. At Double L Vineyard, Ellen Landis (center) examines a Chardonnay cluster with Naureen Zaim (left) and Robin Puricelli (right). Entrenched: Owner-grower Steve McIntyre demonstrates Chualar sandy loam and root penetration to (from left) Catherine Morel, Robin Puricelli, Teresa Patrone and Naureen Zaim. McIntryre Estate Pinot Noir and Estate Chardonnay . A view of one of Peterson's Big Bench Vineyards on upper middle slopes of SLH from Apex Vineyard.