I always seem to time it right when I head to Soquel Vineyards to try a flight of their wines. The team of Peter Bargetto, Paul Bargetto and Jon Morgan were showcasing the exceptional wines that were major winners at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in January. I loved them all.
Zeroing in on their 2018 Partners’ Reserve Pinot Noir ($50), this superbly-made Pinot won Best of Class in the Chronicle wine competition. When you think of all the wines entered from far and wide, it is no mean feat to come out on top.
“The core of fruit is pure and offers a solid concentration of Santa Cruz Mountains appellation,” says the trio of owners of the Partners’ Reserve Pinot. “It’s a classic Corralitos-area-grown Pinot Noir.”
In addition, a wild-ride of aromas and flavors, especially of red fruits such as strawberries and cherries, are right up front. When you swirl the Pinot around your glass, smidgeons of vanilla, game and spice also make an aromatic statement in this fabulous earthy wine.
Grapes are harvested from the reputable Regan Vineyards in Corralitos and aged in the finest French oak barrels for 10 months. No stone is left unturned to produce the best wine possible.
Another Soquel Vineyards Pinot entered in the Chronicle Wine Competition—a 2018 “rich and mouth-filling” blend from three vineyards ($30) with aromas of mushroom and earthy overtones—won a double gold.
Peter’s son Simone Bargetto tells me that Soquel Vineyards was the only winery to win a minimum of four golds and double golds, plus best of class amongst the plethora of wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Chalone, and the Santa Lucia Highlands. That says it all, right there.
Simone also says that the winery owners don’t like to boast, but he thinks it’s relevant to mention these awards “because of the consistent work that Peter, Paul and Jon put in up here.”
A warm welcome awaits you at Soquel Vineyards’ tasting room, a wine-lover’s utopia.
