Fairview Road Ranch epitomizes what people in Real Estate would call being in a good neighborhood. The vineyard is situated immediately between two of the finest and well known vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands, Garys' Vineyard, the joint project of Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni, and Rosella's Vineyard, the vineyard of Gary Franscioni. With its similar growing conditions and its own exemplary grower, Kirk Williams, Fairview Road Ranch is quickly being recognized as another of the most highly regarded sources of Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands.
Fairview Road Ranch was planted in 2000. The vineyard rests on a gently sloped hillside within the thin strip of vineyards running north to south along River Road at an elevation of 200 ft. Located around the midpoint of the strip, Fairview Road Ranch tends to reflect characteristics of the vineyards to the north, ripening just a bit later than those to the south and exhibiting greater spiciness in its fruit. Its soil is comprised of decomposed granite and gravelly loam. Roaring winds off the Monterey Bay to the north provide substantial cooling in the morning and evening. Cooling is amplified to some extent in the northern third of the Pinot Noir blocks where a subtle ridge captures some of the airflow. Together, these factors result in tiny, concentrated clusters. At the winery, we call them little grenades of flavor.
Fairview Road Ranch has two blocks of Pinot Noir, one planted with the Pommard 4 clone and the other with 667. These clones appear to be two of the best suited for the area. Prior to the formation of Coterie Cellars, we experimented with various percentages of these clones in our wines. Today, we typically combine them each around 50%. We think this combination provides an enticing layering of earthiness, spice, and dark fruit, exhibiting typicity for the vineyard and the area. We usually harvest this vineyard in late September to early October.
View our 2007 Fairview Road Ranch Pinot Noir
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