2017 Tolosa “1772” Pinot Noir

About 2017 Tolosa Pinot Noir 1772:

When Tolosa was founded, they chose the name 1772 in honor of the year Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded. Today, they carry on the Franciscan’s legacy of winemaking
in the exceptional terroir that is Edna Valley. The goal is to preserve the characteristics of the coolest AVA in California by showcasing the tension and acidity in the wine.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Ruby red.
On the Nose: Graham cracker, rose petals, nectarine, a hint of soy sauce with nuances of terroir salinity and limestone.
On the Palate: Seamless palate with notes of ruby red grapefruit, rosebud, red apple, limestone, smore on the finish and a touch of salinity.

Barrel Selection:

The wine was aged in a combination of new and neutral French oak barrels for 9 months.

Growing Notes:

The 2017 Tolosa Pinot Noir “1772” vintage experienced a warm Indian summer, which contributes to this wine’s lush fruit profile that jumps out of the glass. They harvest the fruit by hand, utilize an optical sorting machine, and ferment in open top stainless steel tanks.

Winemaking Notes:

The vineyard harvests the fruit by hand, utilize an optical sorting machine, and ferment in open top stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in a combination of new and neutral French oak barrels for 9 months.

About The Vineyard:

This attractive Tolosa Pinot Noir portrays 3 different vineyard blocks from Tolosa’s estate vineyard, Edna Ranch. Block 581 is located on the Hollister section of Tolosa’s estate vineyard, and it is planted with the HMR clone. Block 588 is also planted on the Hollister section, with clone 777. The Hollister section is closest of Edna Ranch to the Pacific Ocean, receiving cooler temperatures from the fog and wind. Block 595 is planted in the Stornetta section located on eastern side of the Edna Valley. This block is planted at the base of the Santa Lucia
Highlands and experiences a slightly warmer microclimate.

Story Behind the Winery:

Cowboy dreams of owning a cattle ranch brought Robin Baggett to Edna Valley on the San Luis Obispo Coast. The cold Pacific wind and soils from ancient seabed to limestone made him realize he was on a frontier of a different sort: a microclimate ideal for ripening sensitive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Robin began planting his home ranch in 1988.  In Edna Valley, much as the soil and the climate come together, the passions of vintner Robin Baggett have converged. The revelation of the valley as a remarkable place for Pinot Noir ignited his zeal to build complex, nuanced and balanced wines of distinction.  Over time, his quest has expanded to find other special pockets of terroir throughout California that offer an exceptional environment for these delicate grapes.

Tolosa, established in San Luis Obispo in 1998, is an artisanal producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Helmed by vintner Robin Baggett, Tolosa epitomizes the special terroir that is San Luis Obispo Coast, nestled amongst the northwest to southeast running volcanic hills of San Luis Obispo County and the frontier for the most complex cool-climate varietals in California. Its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays reflect the cold Pacific wind that sweeps down the coast and funnels into the valley, as well as the remarkable diversity of soil types: ingredients for nuanced and balanced wines of distinctive character. Tolosa combines traditional methods, such as hand punch down and whole berry uncrushed fermentations, with state-of-the-art equipment in the cellar and cutting-edge technology in the vineyard to handcraft exceptional wines that are the purest expressions of the San Luis Obispo Coast.

A true believer in terroir and the deepest evocation of place, together with his winemaking team, his mission is to discover the best pockets of soil, and through the art of uniting the right sites, clones, rootstocks and farming practices, create exemplary Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are the purest expressions of the place from whence they came.  Tolosa is the expression of his commitment to spare no effort to craft nuanced and balanced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of distinctive character to rival any in the world.