2021 Kutch, Mindego Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2021 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge is a racy, classy wine from this well-known Santa Cruz Mountains site. The 2021 is tight, inward and not fully expressive of place just yet. Hopefully that will emerge over time. Then again, this is the Santa Cruz Mountains, where Pinots often need a few years to show at their very best.
Drink 2024 - 2035
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
Full bottle 1,342 g. From a cool, 10-acre, south-facing vineyard planted in 2009, much more recently than the other Kutch Pinot sources, at 700–950 ft and eight miles from the ocean. David and Stacey Gollnick farm organically on this site of silty clay loam over fractured shale. Hand-picked 22-27 September. 50% whole bunch – less than the 75% in 2019.
Pale, bright cherry red. Dense, firm fruit. Chalky texture. There is more grunt, density and undertow than in most of his Sonoma Coast wines. Less ethereal. Good to see an obvious difference. ... Not as long as some Sonoma Coast wines.
Drink 2023 - 2028
JancisRobinson.com (December 2022)
Intense red fruit on the nose with crunchy cherry, raisins, tea leaves and dried herbs. Hints of rosehip and floral aromas. Generous, ripe and juicy on the palate with vivid, bright fruit and a sandy bed of tannin. It is structured and well-balanced.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Anne Krebiehl MW, Justin Knock MW, Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, Decanter.com (September 2023)
About this WINE
Kutch Wines
Kutch is a Sonoma based winery, specialising in the cooler areas of California, they produce remarkably well-made expressions of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Headed by the enigmatic Jamie Kutch, the ex-Wall Street trader got bitten by the wine bug while hosting a dinner party with several friends, one of whom bought a bottle of Kosta Browne’s Pinot Noir. This bottle sparked something deep within Jamie, and he soon found himself flying out to San Francisco to immerse himself in the US wine trade. By day, still working as a trader, but on weekends, he would head to the vineyards and absorb all he could about the intricacies of making fine wine.
Suffice it to say, the day job only lasted about six months, and he soon found himself taking charge of a new project, under his own name, Kutch.
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is a Viticultural Area that is based around the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. The appellation enjoys a large diveristy of micro-climates, affected by the mountain topography, the Pacific Ocean, and the nearby San Francisco Bay.
The wine appellation encompasses 1,500 acres of vineyards, dominated by mainly Pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, with more smaller blocks of Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Dolcetto, Grenache, Malbec, Malvasia, Merlot, Mondeuse, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel.
Notable wineries in the appellation include: Bonny Doon Vineyard, Ridge Vineyards , Neely
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Save 10% on the 75cl bottle, previously priced at £57.00. Offer valid until 11:59 pm on 2nd February. BBX listings excluded.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge is a racy, classy wine from this well-known Santa Cruz Mountains site. The 2021 is tight, inward and not fully expressive of place just yet. Hopefully, that will emerge over time. Then again, this is the Santa Cruz Mountains, where Pinots often need a few years to show at their very best.
Drink 2024 - 2035
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
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