Last week, I posted about a rainy day Idle Hour tasting. In addition to Idle Hour, Mark Bunter of Bunter Spring Winery (finally) showed up with his wines and Lenora Carey of Big Sur Vineyards also poured some of hers – including a limited release Pinot Noir made by…Mark Bunter! We had arrived early for Idle Hour and were just about ready to leave when these wineries showed up, so I only have 3 wines to present today. In addition, we re-tasted Bunter’s 2018 Hippie Syrah – it was meaty and delicious, as I previously reported here: Interesting Showing of Central Coast Wines at the Dome Reunion!
Some of my notes are amplified by budding winemaker Erin and Jacqueline, the President of our Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society. As always, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, website, or conversations with the winery. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
Mark raises the point in his writeup of the Palisades Vineyard Pinot Noir below that not all vineyards in Carmel Valley are in the Carmel Valley AVA – but now there is a brand new Carmel Coastal AVA which you can read about in Matt Kettmann’s article here: Is the Carmel Coast California’s Next Pinot Noir Star? I hope this new AVA addresses his issue!!
2019 Spring Pinot Noir Palisades Vineyard Carmel Valley, Monterey County, 12.84% ABV, $30. (#919)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Owner John Stafsnes spares no amount of trouble or expense on his vineyard. In one of the many examples of AVA nonsense, Palisades, smack dab in the center of Carmel Valley, isn’t in the Carmel Valley AVA, although vineyards many miles away, and over the ridge, in tributary Cachagua valley, are. So legally it’s not Carmel Valley wine, it’s Monterey wine. Whatever. It is subtle but complex, a wine to savor and consider at length with good food. Low alcohol with medium body, spicy, leafy, earthy aromas, tart red cherry and red currant flavors finishing with lingering cinnamon-like tannins. Can you taste the $1300 French barrel? Hope so! Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast, sulfite. Not fined, reverse osmosis filtered. At bottling: total SO2 69 ppm, residual sugar 0.3 g/L (dry).” 50 cases produced.
My Review: We had already tasted plenty of wine, so our notes on this one are a bit skimpy. This is a lighter style, food wine with plenty of expected cherry notes for a Monterey Pinot Noir. December 2022
2021 Spring Saignée Rosé, (Pre-release) (#920)
This wine is pre-release and not yet posted to their website. Made from 50-year-old vines and spent 4 hours on the skins. About 20 cases produced. If you want to read more about saignée, I found this Decanter Magazine article, “What does ‘saignée’ mean in rosé wine?”
My Review: Pale salmon in the glass, more floral, like a rosé from Provence with some tart notes on the palate. Would be a great patio wine on a warm afternoon. December 2022
2021 Big Sur Vineyards Limited Release Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, 13.8% ABV,$42 (#921) 50/50 Pommard Clone/667 Clone
Winemaker’s Notes: “Our 2021 Pinot Noir Reserve, handcrafted by winemaker Mark Bunter is light, bright and a classic Monterey County Pinot noir. Mark blended two Dijon clones; Pommard with its vevety style and soft tannins, and 667 with aromas of dark fruit and black tea. The result is a beautifully fresh, vividly ruby wine in the glass and layers of raspberry, plum, dark cherry and a hint of “Christmas spices.” It is rich and elegant on the palate while at the same time bursting with aromas and flavors, leaving you with a lasting impression of a well-crafted wine.”
My Review assisted by Erin & Jacqueline: Cherry deliciousness on the palate. This is going to be a great wine – balanced. I’m not a big Pinot fan, but I liked this wine. December 2022
You can check their respective websites for how to purchase their wines. Thanks to the cooperation of Idle Hour, Bunter Spring and Big Sur Vineyards, you can sometimes find a pop-up tasting by Mark Bunter in the Idle Hour tasting space inside the Big Sur Vineyards tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Check out the Bunter Spring Winery Facebook Page and the Bunter Spring Winery Instagram page for more information.
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