2016 Chamisal Morrito Pinot Noir

About 2016 Chamisal Morrito Pinot Noir:

this Pinot Noir wine is rated 96 points by Wine Enthusiast, which describes it as “powerful, attention-grabbing and deliciously balanced”

Tasting Notes:

The wine has a rich crimson color and expressive aromas of petrichor, rose petals and red fruits. It has supple notes of tart cherry, mushroom and cranberry on the palate, with firm and elegant tannins. With flavors of candied plum, black cherry, red fruit and star-anise spice

Growing Notes:

The 2016 Chamisal Morrito Pinot Noir is a single-vineyard wine from the Edna Valley region in California.

Planted on a south-west facing slope from their Southern hilltop vineyard site, Morrito has consistently outperformed other Pinot Noir blocks on the estate. Morrito Hill’s soils are different in that they contain an abundance of calcareous rock and are referred to as the “Chamise shaly loam soil series”. Morrito is one of the first Pinot Noir blocks harvested and has been the winery’s most limited and sought after Pinot Noir since its inception in 2003.

Their estate vineyard encompasses 82 acres planted across three distinct soil types: Chamise Shaly Loam, Tierra Sandy Loam, and Salinas Clay Loam. Located just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, the estate vineyard thrives in one of the coolest cool-climate regions across the winegrowing world. The maritime influence of their proximity to the Pacific Ocean has a huge influence on the quality and character of the wines. The vineyard receives the benefit of a longer and more temperate growing season, allowing for the development of complexity and intensity in the wines, balanced by a coastal freshness that has become a hallmark of Morrito wines. They are constantly learning from their vineyard and adapting and evolving their farming methods and the way they make their wines in the cellar.

In the vineyard, they foster a healthy population of birds and owls for natural predation of unwanted pests, have eliminated the use of herbicides, utilize cover crops to increase biodiversity, and irrigate with recaptured winery processed water. The winery generates 25% of our electrical power from solar panels and have an extensive system of moisture probes and sensors to reduce the water usage in the vineyard.

Winemaking Notes:

Each vintage is a culmination of the vintages before it, a patient and persistent progression of tinkering, experiments, and adjustments in the cellar to nudge each wine closer to its fullest and highest expression.

The winemaking team at Chamisal Vineyards, led by winemaker Brianne Engles, is dedicated to continuous improvement, experimentation, and isn’t afraid to try innovative new techniques in the pursuit of making better wines.

About The Winery:

The first vineyard planted in 1973 in what would become the Edna Valley AVA, Chamisal Vineyards is located just outside the city of San Luis Obispo on California’s Central Coast. A specialist in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Chamisal Vineyards strives to produce wines that express the wild and inspiring beauty of California’s Central Coast and, more specifically, their 82-acre estate vineyard.

Chamisal Vineyards has long been at the forefront of sustainability efforts in the region; in 2020, they began a shift towards biodynamic practices and have introduced numerous regenerative agricultural measures including the installation of a Miyawaki forest and community vegetable garden that is farmed on behalf of the San Luis Obispo Food Bank.