Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/833814
66 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2017 { somm camp preview } While established in 1981—its first estate vines planted in 1978—Thomas Fogarty has remained one of the appellation's most innovative producers. Visionary ownership has helped, starting with founder Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a heart surgeon and acclaimed inventor (of the embolectomy catheter), and carried on by his son Tom Fogarty Jr., as well as a graceful succession of crack winemakers, Michael Martella and Nathan Kandler. "Santa Cruz Mountains has become the poster child for new styles of Pinot Noir," says Kandler, the winery's current Director of Winemaking. "Ten, fifteen years ago everyone was trying to make the same Pinot Noir, and in California it was a matter of how close you could come to a Russian River Valley style. We don't even think about that now. Today, we're con - cerned more about individual vineyards. If one vineyard produces higher tannin Pinot Noir and another is lower in color, higher in acid, or more structured, capturing those differences is now our goal, not trying to achieve some kind of uniformity. There is greater acceptance of individual styles of Pinot Noir, directly related to greater appreciation of vineyards." To make their case, Kandler crafts no fewer than nine single-vineyard Pinot Noir bot - tlings. "In vineyards, we stress building soil and vine health through composting, which leads to heightened sense of site. We pick for pH and total acidity—we want to keep winemaking simple: strictly native yeast, using minimal sulfur, no enzymes, making no tannin or acid adjustments, and keeping the use of new oak either at zero or below 20 percent, depending on the site. This is how you produce Pinot Noirs that express vineyards rather than varietal uniformity." Among the Thomas Fogarty Pinot Noirs, Kandler points out that their higher-elevation vineyards (up to 2,000 feet), grown on or near their Skyline Road estate, are dramatically different from vineyards located at the south end of the appellation, the Corralitos/Pleasant Valley area barely four miles from Monterey Bay. Says Kandler, "While the rocky, shallow, shale soils in the higher mountain sites can vary, the wines are generally soil-driven, with more spice elements, whereas the coastal vineyards are more climate-influenced—grown in sandstone, slower to ripen, a little more red-fruit aromatics." Adds Kandler, "Our winemaking has evolved out of the diversity of sites found through - out the region. Sure, we use components from each one to produce our blended Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir, but we spend most of our time and energy on finding ways to bring out what makes each vineyard unique." Two of Thomas Fogarty's more terroir-focused bottlings: Thomas Fogarty 2014 Pinot Noir, Windy Hill Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains (SRP $78) The estate's highest elevation (1,970 feet), most exposed block (hence the "windy" moniker) and undoubtedly the most distinctive. Its older vines were actually pulled out in 2010 and completely replanted by 2012 with new row orientation, different clones and rootstock and tighter spacing. Yet the wines from the young vines produce Pinot Noirs with an uncannily close resemblance to the wines from the old planting—starting with the same pungent, woody spice suggesting exotic seasonings and eucalyptus, laced with red berry perfumes and composed of muscular yet svelte, supple phenols in the texturing. Thomas Fogarty 2014 Pinot Noir, Rapley Trail Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains (SRP $78) This sloping block below the winery tops off at 1,650 feet and is planted exclusively to a Martini selection. Its nose is consistently lush, ripe, plummy, notably spicy (black pepper veering towards sweet incense-and-pepper - mint) and, even more interestingly, replete with a compelling, foresty, almost greenish woodsiness, the latter qual - ity impacted directly by daily winds whistling through surrounding stands of Douglas fir. Brooding, meaty, "mountain" palate feel, yet moderate and full of finesse in actual weight. Nathan Kandler Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards Nathan Kandler, Director of Winemaking at Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards, says "Our winemaking has evolved out of the diversity of sites found throughout the region."