Collection of wines that typify Monterey AVAs to launch this fall
This fall, in conjunction with September’s designation as California Wine Month, Monterey Wine Country is releasing a ground-breaking series of wines called the Monterey Signature Series Wine Collection. The wines in the collection showcase four of Monterey County’s nine American Viticulture Areas (AVA) and offer an up-close look at the essence of this burgeoning wine region.
Monterey Signature Series Wine Collection
The Signature Series’ release will include two Pinot Noir and two Chardonnay wines, each crafted through a collaboration of three celebrated wineries from that AVA.
- Santa Lucia Highlands AVA Pinot Noir made by Paul Clifton (Hahn Winery), David Fleming (Paraiso Vineyards), and Steve Pessagno (Pessagno Winery) With an unparalleled depth of aroma and flavor, this Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir offers notes of cola nut, spice, fig, raspberry, earthy forest floor, and shows fruit that is fully ripe, substantial weight in the mid-palate, and a moderate, silky length on the finish.
- Monterey AVA Pinot Noir made by Dave Nagengast (Scheid Vineyards), Steve McIntyre (McIntyre Vineyards), and Sabrine Rodems (Wrath Wines) With brightness from well-balanced acids, this wine is juicy with notes of cherries, raspberries, and black berries laced with jasmine flowers. Secondary notes of cardamom and coriander are also present as a result of whole-cluster fermentation, which lifts the palate and allows full expression of the fruit all the way into the finish.
- Chalone AVA Chardonnay made by Robert Cook (Chalone Vineyards), Michael Michaud (Michaud Vineyard), and Phil Woodward (Woodward Graff Wines) Hailing from one of the few grape-growing regions in California with limestone soils, this Chardonnay represents something unique to California and the New World. When young, this wine exudes ripe citrus and stone fruit aromas and flavors within the framework of bright acidity and a gravelly mineral finish. As the wine ages, earthy aromas of fig and brioche develop, though the wine continues to be refreshing and youthful on the palate.
- 2010 Arroyo Seco AVA Chardonnay made by Karl Antink (J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines), Ivan Giotenov (Carmel Road Winery), and Karl Wente (Wente Vineyards) This creamy and floral Chardonnay boasts citrus flavors of Meyer lemon along with an underlying mineral/stone characteristic. The palate balances richness with mouth-watering acidity that extend into a long finish.
“Due to its geography and the influence of Monterey Bay, Monterey County can produce wines of the same varietal that vary dramatically from one AVA to the next,” said Monterey Vintners and Growers Association (MCVGA) Executive Director, Rhonda Motil, whose organization spearheaded the Signature Series project. “In designing the Signature Series, we wanted to bring this differentiation to light in a way that really showcases our appellations and the winemakers who champion them.”
To introduce the Signature Series, the MCVGA will hold a media tour through Monterey Wine Country showcasing the region’s AVAs this September 10-14. In support of the project, Signature Series wines will be available to select events nationwide; additionally, the MCVGA will take these wines, among others, on the road for a multi-city national tour early in 2013.
For more information on the Monterey Vintners Signature Series Wine Collection or any supporting events, please contact the MCVGA at 831.375.9400.
