At the start of our wine drinking days we mostly imbibed Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with some Cabernets added. The first Pinot Noir that caught our attention was a bottle from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard that was labeled vintage 1978/1979. We had never seen that before or since. (It was an illegal mistake.) But the wine was so memorable it set us on the lookout for great Pinot Noirs.
All these years and many Pinots later we have come to realize that the wine was far from a typical Pinot Noir. It was dark and opaque, huge in the mouth with great intensity and strong tannins on the finish. It was more like a Syrah than a Pinot but it was delicious.
Fast forward to the present. We were delighted recently to be able to do a tour of four wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountain area. In our last column we featured the wines of Rhys Vineyards and Mount Eden Vineyards. This week we will feature wines from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards, maker of the iconic Pinot from decades ago, and also Big Basin Vineyards, one of the rising stars of the Santa Cruz region.
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
The tasting room at Santa Cruz Mountain.
As a young man Ken Burnap fell in love with French Burgundy wine. He started to wonder why California wines made from the same grape were not nearly as good as the French Pinots. He came to the conclusions that the reason most California Pinot was bad was because it came from Napa Valley which was a much hotter region than Burgundy in France. He started looking for places in California that would be suitable for growing Pinot Noir. He settled on a site in the Vine Hill district of Santa Cruz County. The site had continuously produced grapes since 1863 and had just been planted with Pinot Noir. He bought the vineyard and started Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard one of the pioneer producers in the area.
In 1979 Ken hired Jeff Emery, a 20-year-old student attending UC Santa Cruz, to help out with bottling. That began an apprenticeship relationship between the two and they worked together making wine until 2003 when Ken retired from the business. Jeff took over and has been the proprietor of SCMV ever since. In 2008 the winery moved to a location in an industrial park on the west side of the city of Santa Cruz where it is presently located.
In addition to their regular lineup of wines, in 2008 Jeff created Quinta Cruz a sister brand created to showcase grape varieties from Portugal and Spain. Jeff had fallen in love with Iberian wines on his travels on the peninsula and sought to create them using grapes grown in California. On a recent visit to their funky/ chic tasting room in Santa Cruz we got to catch up on the current releases.
WHITE WINES AND ROSE
2021 Arinto, $28 This was our first exposure to this Portuguese variety. It starts with a slight diesel fuel note like many fine German Rieslings then evolves into lemon and grapefruit aromas, the citrus theme continues on the palate as it fills the mouth with bright lemony fruit and bracing acidity. Totally refreshing and brisk this wine would make a great aperitif or partner to seafood.
2022 Grenache Rose, $24 The Grenache rose exhales aromas of strawberries, pomegranate and rose petals followed by a medium bodied supple and enveloping palate with a delicate mouth-watering finish. Clean and refreshing.
RED WINES
Branciforte Creek’s Pinot Noir.2013 Pinot Noir Vine Hill Reserve, $75 This 12-year-old Pinot is a selection of the winery’s best barrels from both of their Pinot vineyards. It has an incredibly complex nose of earth, leather, barnyard, cherries and plums. A dead ringer for an aged Burgundy this shows how well the Santa Cruz Mountain Pinots can age. Branciforte Creek’s Pinot Noir.
2018 Souzao, $24 We have loved this Portuguese grape in the past so were excited Souzao is a Portuguese grape variety.
to try it. It is inky and dark with an exotic nose of violets, spices and blueberry fruit. In the mouth it is intense and voluptuous bursting with flavor and bracing acidity. This delicious big boy is not for the timid but would make a killer partner to a grilled ribeye steak. 2028 Sparkling Souzao, $48 This stunning wine was like a dry Lambrusco only way better. Dark ruby in color and oozing with charm it has refreshing strawberry and cranberry fruit and a touch (.2) residual sugar. Someone put the Sam Cooke records on the turntable. This is a party in your mouth.
2020 Alicante Bouchet, $32 This is one of our favorite grapes and Jeff does a great job harnessing its potential. Dark as ink and bursting with notes of lilacs and juicy blueberry and plum fruit, it has a rich decadent mouthfeel with perfectly soft resolved tannins. The finish is full and satisfying. The perfect partner for a rich beef stew.
2021 Durif, $32 SCMV is one of the few wineries that insist on using the technically correct name for the grape that is commonly called Petite Sirah. It is inky dark and loaded with blackberry and cassis fruit along with notes of leather and earth. It is layered and full in the mouth with a short but clean finish.
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Bates Ranch, $150 Jeff has started a new program called Grand Cru Cabernets that highlight fruit from some of the historic, old vine vineyards in Santa Cruz AVA. The Bates Ranch vineyard was planted in 1972 and SCMV began making wine from the grapes in 1978 and this wine comes from the same grapes. The nose opens with blueberry preserves, black olives with hints of tobacco and earth. Full-bodied, rich ripe and concentrated, it has a solid structure of grainy tannins and a lively line of freshness finishing long and perfumed.
Big Basin Vineyards
Jeff Emery is proprietor and winemaker at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard.
The Santa Cruz Mountains is the oldest wine growing region in California dating back to the 1880’s yet it has been overshadowed by younger areas like Napa and Sonoma AVAs. The region is enjoying newfound notoriety led by wineries like Rhys and Mount Eden (covered in our last article) and shining stars like Big Basin. Located in the heart of the Santa Cruz mountains with vineyards first planted by French immigrants over 100 years ago, the estate vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne and Viognier.
Twenty years ago owner Bradley Brown began his journey to produce new world wines that possess an old world soul. The Big Basin lineup includes an amazing 23 different bottlings including single vineyard Pinot Noirs, single vineyard Syrahs and Grenaches and Rhone blends both red and white. There are two great places to experience Big Basin wines. You can visit the winery and tasting room in the little forest town of Boulder Creek or you can visit the sleek tasting room/wine Bar/restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz. The Wine Bar employes a chef who has designed a menu of tapas and appetizers designed to go with the wines. The warm and inviting space is an ideal place to hang out and drink wine in Santa Cruz.
WHITE WINES
Bradley Brown is founder of Big Basin Vineyards.2023 Chenin Blanc, $24 One of our favorite grapes that seems to be making a comeback in California. It has pineapple and apple aromas on the nose. In the mouth it is brisk and tart with lemon and lime flavors and some Vouvray-like chalky undertones. It has great structure and finishes lean and clean.
2023 Pet Nat, $33 We must admit our experience with most Pet Nat wine has been less than positive but this 100% Roussanne version pleasantly surprised us. It was spritzy, vibrant and lively with no funky, weird aromas. Would be a great summer picnic wine and should be consumed in the next year.
RED WINES
2017 Pinot Noir Old Corral Vineyard, $75 This was the best of the single Vineyard Pinots we tasted. It has an enchanting nose that is f loral and complex with just the right touch of oak. In the mouth it shows strawberry and cranberry fruit with medium body and great balance. At 8 years of age, it is drinking perfectly now.
2021 GSM, $35 A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from the Gabilan Mountains. It has layered aromas of blueberry, anise, and lavender. The full-bodied palate is elegantly styled with floral and mineral-laced flavors. It is light on its feet with soft, velvety tannins and bright acidity and has a long satisfying finish.
2019 Syrah Sixty-Two Terraces, $68 This wine created using whole cluster fermentation is very much a cold climate Syrah. It is savory and lean with aromas of black pepper, blackberry and violets a la the Northern Rhone wines. With a few years in the cellar this wine should blossom and provide great satisfaction.
The Rattlesnake Rock Syrah was our favorite Big Basin wine.2021 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock Our favorite wine of the tasting this wine is a stunning Hermitage like blockbuster. Starting with a complex nose of violets, earth and leather it has loads of blackberry and cassis fruit with the perfect touch of oak. The wine has ample tannins, but they are not rough edged and give a satisfying heft to the finish. Crank up the BBQ and throw on the tri-tip when you uncork this baby.
