2024 Alfaro Family Pinot Noir 'Trout Gulch'

100% certified organic and dry farmed Pinot Noir from the extremely cool Trout Gulch Vineyard,  a 16 acre, 45 year old site just outside of Aptos which the Alfaros purchased in 2021 after farming it for more than a decade.  Fermented with native yeasts and 25% whole cluster, aged 11 months in 22% new French oak. 13.5% alcohol. 350 cases produced. This is our favorite of Alfaro’s estate Pinots!  Vivid ruby. Hibiscus, crushed raspberry, wild strawberry, and white pepper on the nose, with an earthy undercurrent of damp soil and chaparral. The palate is bright and focused — cherry, red berry, and concrete-dust minerality — with lively acidity, silky texture, and a clean, spiced finish. Expressive and ageworthy. This is still quite young and will certainly get more expressive with time, but it’s already showing well under its tightly wound core of acidity and tannin.