Chalone Estate Pinot Noir

The Chalone Estate Vineyard is one of the most remarkable winery properties in California, and the sole winery within the Chalone AVA. The vineyard was planted in 1919, with the production under the Chalone Vineyard brand beginning in 1960.Chalone wines speak to the unique terroir of this wild, isolated and high-elevation mountain plateau in Monterey County, located adjacent to the Pinnacles National Monument. The wines reflect a unique character that is attributed to the area’s granitic and limestone soils as well as the large daily diurnal shifts, ultimately resulting in wines with distinct minerality and balance between ripe fruit character and bright acidity.Everything was positive about the 2010 vintage at Chalone,” Robert relates. “It was the first of two back-to-back cool vintages; we started about two weeks late but no rain marred the harvest. The adequate soil moisture from spring rains and the mild temperatures during the growing season provided ideal conditions for long hangtime and well-developed flavors and tannins. It was a relaxed, easy harvest of very high-quality fruit.”