The second bottle of wine that I pulled from the “A Taste of Monterey” wine club parcel was Wrath Estate Winery Pinot Noir 115/667 San Saba Vineyard Monterey 2019.  Wrath Estate Winery is located in Soledad, California and they are a winery where production is limited, but not the quality, and since we have been there, they have opened a satellite tasting room in downtown Carmel.  The winery produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Falanghina and Sauvignon Blanc from their estate vineyard and some very respected private vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands.  This is among the top ten most highly rated Monterey wines by Wine Spectator and based on critic scores and price, this wine represents great value.  The earliest wine that I have had from Wrath is their Pinot Noir, San Saba Vineyard 2010.  The soil

The Estate’s San Saba Vineyard is set in a sheltered nook, just below the Santa Lucia Highlands.  The estate is seventy-two acres divided among five varietals.  It is a cool site, with very little rainfall and one of the longest growing seasons in the world.  The soils are a mix of Arroyo Gravelly Loam and Hanford Gravely Sandy Loam provide a low-vigor, well-draining, disease and pest-free medium for the vines; as well as a subtle mineral quality to their wines.  They are accredited as Certified Sustainable (SIP) farming program.

The Wrath Estate Winery Pinot Noir 115/667 San Saba Vineyard Monterey 2019 refers to the mix of two distinct clones; sixty percent Clone 115 and forty percent Clone 667. The grapes are hand-picked and hand sorted; and the Clones are kept in separate lots during fermentation.  Twenty percent of the wine undergoes whole cluster Initial Fermentation.  After fermentation the wine is aged in an assortment of different size French Oak barrels and twenty-five percent is new to create additional complexity.   The barrel aging is for about eleven months, and then bottle rested for an additional twelve months before release.   Just a shade under seven-hundred cases were produced.  The tasting notes that were furnished “has a distinctive spicy character that energizes the dark cherry and mineral tones in this bottling.  Made in a fresh, lively and pure style with loads of character.”