THE STORY
Struggling to come up with a new idea for the monthly Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society First Friday WinedUP event, I pored over our master spreadsheet of tasting rooms and past events. It was time for our event to take place in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Manzoni Estate Vineyards jumped out at me: our group had never been there and they have a spacious tasting room. I gave them a call and learned that, not only would they be interested in hosting us, but they have new owners! So, we beat feet over there to meet the new owner and hear his vision for the winery.
My last big post about Manzoni Estate Vineyards was here: Manzoni Vineyards: In the “Heart of the Highlands”. When I called the tasting room, they remembered that I had visited them in 2021 to write up their wines for this post.
ABOUT MANZONI ESTATE VINEYARDS – NEW OWNERS WITH A VISION
Dan Troyan and his partner Doree Speidel are the brand new owners of Manzoni Estate Vineyards. When we met with Dan in September, they had only owned the winery for about two weeks! Both Dan and Doree are from the Bay Area and Monterey County. As young 30-somethings, they had been living outside of Seattle and had dreamed of owning a winery. As they started to look, this opportunity jumped out at them and they took the leap – why not now?
Dan and Doree will be keeping many aspects of the winery the same. While the vineyards will stay in the Manzoni family’s hands, they are retaining access to the vineyards’ grapes, as well as the same winemaker and winemaking process. Being new owners with a vision, going forward, they plan to source all their grapes from Monterey County. This includes their Cuvée Louie, their Bordeaux-style blend which is currently made from grapes in the Paicines AVA, San Benito County. As an unabashed Monterey wine fan, I like that idea! They will also be making incremental updates to their tasting room décor. All in good time, my friend.
More about Manzoni Estate Vineyards from their website:
“Fine winemaking is both an art and a passion, but also requires an understanding of the science of alchemy. The Manzoni family relies on the idea of terroir. This is the time-honored method of combining soil, slope, sun exposure, with a nod to the gods of weather that let the grape varieties show their unique characteristics.
“They have chosen to grow grapes on California’s cool coastal mountains, ridges, and hillsides and benchlands. Here, they strive to give you the richest, most intense flavors with a unique and memorable character.”
THE WINES – MANZONI ESTATE VINEYARDS
Today I am presenting 7 Manzoni Estate Vineyards wines. Winery notes come from the tasting sheet or their website, unless otherwise noted. Any errors are mine and mine alone. As a rule, I do not correct typos from the wineries’ websites.
2021 Manzoni Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Griva Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County, 13.5% ABV, $30 (#1438)
Winery Notes: “Aromas of grapefruit. The palate is rich with bright tropical fruit flavors with notes of lime and grapefruit zest. Perfectly balanced with a gentle crisp refreshing acidity.”
My Review: Pale golden and viscous in glass. Light tropical flavors on the palate. September 2024
2020 Manzoni Estate Vineyards North Highlands’ Cuvée Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, 14.2% ABV, $38 (#1439)
Winery Notes: “The 2020 Manzoni Chardonnay is a vibrant example of the Santa Lucia Highlands in an exceptional vintage. Aromas of dense tropical fruits leap out of the glass wrapped in subtle brioche that hints towards uncommon richness and weight. In the palette, this wine is unusually nimble while maintaining the intensity and mouth-feel promised by its exotic aromatics. Flavors of mango, mandarin orange and guava are led by hard spices and vanilla into a long finish. Crisp acidity allows this wine to flow over the tongue with focus and clarity that completes the experience.”
My Review: Light golden pineapple and peach on the nose. Bright big flavors of pineapple and some butter, followed by an acidic punch. This is one big Chardonnay! September 2024
2020 Manzoni Rosé of Pinot Noir, Family Estate Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, 13.9% ABV, $30 (#1440)
Winery Notes: “As this wine sits in the glass, you notice the rich hues and colors are pleasing to the eye and give hints to the aromas and flavors to come. This wine is a deep Garnet with a beautiful clarity. In the nose, rich strawberry and cream notes with hints of rose petal rise out of the glass with startling focus and intensity. On the palate, intense ripe red berry fruit is matched with and creamy, unctuous mouth-feel and balanced acidity to provide a seamless flavor profile. While certainly on the more opulent side of Rose styles, this wine is marvelously clean and nuanced in its rendering of a Rose of Pinot Noir and is a classic example of what this style has to offer the discerning wine drinker.”
My Review: Dusty light orange in the glass. Bright orange candy and strawberry on the nose. Good balance of sweet and tart on the palate. Drink now. September 2024.
2020 Manzoni Pinot Noir, Family Estate Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, 14.2% ABV, $45 (#1441)
Winery Notes: “Aromas of dark cherries, blackberry and smoky, spicy oak rise out of the glass. Cassis and hard spices are supported by concentrated red and black berries. In the mouth, this wine has a velvety richness and fine, ripe tannins that support the dense, ripe and concentrated fruit. Red plums and berry compote are followed by firm acidity that keeps the wine fresh and balanced. The wine finishes with hard spices and fine vanilla flavors with hints of toasty oak. A great combination of New World ripeness and old word structure. Ripe tannins support a core of rich fruit in this opulent and larger framed wine. All the flavors hang together in great balance for this intensely flavored and well-heeled Pinot Noir.”
My Review: A pretty, dark ruby color. Dusty dark cherry on the nose. Spicy and good acidity on the palate. This would be good with BBQ. This wine has more depth and character than the classic SLH Pinot Noir. September 2024
2020 Manzoni Syrah, Family Estate Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, Monterey County, 14.2% ABV, $44 (#1442)
Winery Notes: “Ripe black fruit and berry aromas mingled with hints of smoky oak and vanilla. The palate follows with intense flavors of ripe red fruits, hard spices and a core of silky tannin. The finish is exceptionally long with balanced acidity bringing the combinations of fruit, spice and vanilla to a clean and satisfying resolution.”
My Review: These grapes come from a lower elevation in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Warm, fruity spice on the nose. Dark fruits and cherry on the palate. Very pleasant. One of the best SLH Syrah wines we have tried. September 2024
2021 Manzoni Zinfandel, Mainini Vineyard, Monterey County, 14.2% ABV, $39 (#1443)
Winery Notes: “The Manzoni Zinfandel shows classic aromas of pure blackberry and blueberry essence supported by elegant vanilla and subtle smokiness. The color is deep, rich and dark with jewel toned hues brought on by the crisp acidity and ripe grape skins. This wine is ripe and rich, but in no way pruny or raisiny like so many other renderings. The aromatics carry through to the palette with flavors of red plums, ripe black berries and hints of hard spices that are wrapped by a core of soft, elegant tannins and bright, clean acidity. This cool climate offering of Zinfandel is a classic rendition of a varietally correct wine that allows the purity of the fruit to shine through. While many versions of Zinfandel tend towards over-ripe characters, this wine is an elegant and powerful bottling that is not only a great flavor experience, but also a wonderful translation of terroir into the bottle. This wine drinking very well at release but a further one to three years will bring out further subtly in the fruit and increase the aged aromatics.”
My Review: Pale garnet in color. Nice Zinfandel flavors on the palate – perhaps the best we have tasted from Monterey County! Baking spices and vanilla on the finish. My searches did not reveal where this vineyard is located. Any readers know where it is? September 2024
2019 Manzoni Cuvée Louie Bordeaux Blend, Pedregal Vineyard, Paicines AVA, San Benito County, 14.5% ABV, $53 (#1444)
Winery Notes: “The Cuvee Louie is the inaugural wine to celebrate the patriarch of the Manzoni Clan: Louie Manzoni. Aromas of dark berry and fruit lift lazily out of the glass followed by hard spices and well-heeled vanilla and hints of oak. They are intense and rich with real visceral weight to the experience. Rarely are the Bordeaux varietals so giving in the nose. The palate is no less joy with flavors of blueberry, darkest cherry and bright plum combining with lively acidity to provide for an intensely focused mouth-full of flavor. The complexities brought on by the combining of all five Bordeaux varietals, the cinq cepage, has both a mesmerizing and invigorating effect. Enjoy with the richest of steaks, a fine roasted joint of lamb and all of your favorite soft cheeses and roasted nuts.”
My Review: Rich dark garnet in the glass. Really pretty. Dark crushed berries. Smooth on the palate. Very tasty. We took one home. Next year, this wine will be made with Monterey County fruit. September 2024
THE MANZONI CELLARS TASTING ROOM
Located in Hampton Court on 7th Ave between San Carlos and Dolores in Carmel-by-the-Sea. In addition to a spacious interior plus a separate wine club members’ room, they also have a lovely courtyard available.
#4 Hampton Court on 7th Ave, between San Carlos & Dolores St. Open daily 12pm – 6pm. (831) 620-6541
© Decanting Monterey 2024
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