THE STORY
When six couples from our East Coast life joined us here on the Monterey Peninsula, it wasn’t hard to come up with wineries we wanted them to experience. Corral Wine Co. @corralwineco was an easy choice to make. This was the perfect opportunity to expose them to Adrien Valenzuela’s fine winemaking. In addition, there were 4 new releases to try, which are the centerpiece of today’s post!
Many thanks to owner Larry Bell for his surprise appearance to host our group and share stories about the winery and the wines. (Our friends proclaimed “There’s a cowboy in there!” as we walked into the tasting room.) His humility and honesty about their experiences, successes and challenges to date are refreshing. As their slogan says: they’re not fancy, but they make good wine. And a very special shout out to Marissa for pouring for us and amplifying the wine descriptions along the way – she is the consummate professional! Our friends commented for days about the high quality of the Corral Wine Co. wines.
My last post about Corral Wine Co. was here: A Rare Chance to Attend a Corral Release Party! I’ve written about them several times – just type “Corral” in the Decanting Monterey search bar. A couple of updated reviews from that previous posting:
My Chardonnay-loving friend declared the 2022 Corral Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay as the best of the day. My updated review: “Yellow-gold in the glass. Butter and caramel balanced by a touch of lime on the nose. Quite flavorful and classic. A nice tang on the palate and acidity on the finish saves it from being too buttery from the malolactic fermentation. November 2024 and March 2025”
And, finally, the 2021 Corral Cabernet Sauvignon has come into its own on this third (for me) tasting: “Purple in the glass. Raspberry and plum on the nose, reminiscent of a balsamic vinegar, savory and slightly sweet at the same time. Juicy, balanced palate, like a rich raspberry jam on toasted sourdough. A blue, tannic crunchiness of Concord grape skin, finishing with intensely dark plum and mint. Very complex and delicious. March 2025”
THE WINERY
From their website: “In 2017, in a barn in Corral de Tierra, California, we barreled our first batch of estate Pinot Noir. We’re still in that same barn, but we’ve made even more varietals from some of the best grapes on the Central Coast.
“We’re a family-owned operations – we’re not fancy, but we make good wine.”
THE WINES
Today I am presenting 4 Corral Wine Co. new releases from this reunion experience. Winery notes come from their website or the tasting sheet. My notes are amplified by the East Coast Chapter of the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod. Any errors are mine and mine alone. As a rule, I do not correct typos from the wineries’ websites.
2023 Corral Estate Rose of Pinot Noir, Bell Ranch, Monterey AVA, Monterey County, $36 (#1531)
Winery Notes: “Vibrant aromas of strawberry, peach ring, and red fruit. Leading way into flavors of watermelon, passion fruit, and orange citrus with hints of white peach and mandarin.” Getting the color right remains a challenge – from their previous vintage of a bright deep color to this year’s pale version.
My Review: Very pale and viscous in the glass. Floral nose, followed by a crisp palate highlighted by pink grapefruit tartness. I would drink this in the micro-climate. March 2025
2023 Corral Sauvignon Blanc, Zabala Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County, 13.4% ABV, $30 (#1532)
Winery Notes: “Aromas of stone fruits, citrus, wet stone, and hints of gooseberry. On the palate lemon, citrus, peach while finishing with its nice racing acidity and minerality.”
My Review: Pale golden in the glass. Grilled pineapple on the nose. Very tasty crisp palate with gooseberry and pineapple flavors. Perhaps the tastiest Monterey County Sauvignon Blanc currently on the market. February and March 2025
2022 Corral Pinot Noir, KW Ranch, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, 14.5% ABV, $58 (#1533)
Winery Notes: “Rich, full flavors of drk cherry, blackberry, bay leaf, clove, spice, and a long finish.”
My Review: Garnet in color. Violet and light cherry on the pleasant nose. Rich cherry jam countered by leather on the hot palate, with lingering menthol on the finish. A richer flavor than most SLH Pinot Noirs, slightly sweet on the front with a little lingering menthol on the finish. Consistently one of our favorite SLH Pinot Noirs. February and March 2025
2021 Corral Petite Sirah, Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County, 14.5% ABV, $56 (#1534)
Winery Notes: “Dark and rich in color with aromas of dark fruit, and ripe red fruits leading way into hints of sage, nutmeg, spices, and leather. With flavors of blackberries, sweet baking spices finishing with nice velvety tannins and a long flavorful finish.”
My Review: Rich, thick, dark purple in color. Crushed black currant with eucalyptus and sage notes on the nose. Huge, rich palate of dark fruit, finishing with lingering intense black currant and saddle leather. This is one delicious wine. We took some home! February/March 2025
THE TASTING ROOM
*Please note that Corral is moving very shortly (if not already) next door in the stand-alone white house formerly occupied by Albatross Ridge!*
“We’d love to pour for you at our Tasting Room in Carmel Valley Village: 19 East Carmel Valley Rd. Suite C, Carmel Valley, CA”
Open Sunday – Thursday 12-5 p.m., Friday – Saturday 12-6-ish p.m.
© Decanting Monterey 2025
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