Clarice Wine Company 'Garys Vineyard' Pinot Noir 2021

"My name is Adam Lee and I am the founder of Clarice Wine Company. I began working with wine in 1989 at a retail store in Austin, Texas. At the time, I also dabbled in restaurant wine sales, and briefly pulled a bag as a wine distributor sales rep. A few years later, I began working as the Wine Buyer at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, and there I met my wife, Dianna Novy. In 1993, we moved to California and, while working in direct sales at various wineries, we started Siduri Wines in 1994. Siduri Wines quickly became known as one of California’s premier Pinot Noir producers and grew from 107 cases in 1994 to 25,000 cases in 2015. During that time, our family grew as well, with the addition of three children; Christian, Amber and Truett. In January of 2015, we sold Siduri Wines to Jackson Family Winery. Since then, Dianna has gone on to launch her own sparkling wine brand, Flaunt, while I stayed on as winemaker for Siduri. In addition to my role at Siduri Wines, I have now introduced Clarice Wine Company as my own small, heartfelt project."

Slightly deeper aromatically, with darker cherry, violet, flower, and sandalwood notes, the 2021 Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, building tannins, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s another rock star of a Pinot Noir from this estate I’d be thrilled to drink. This saw 75% whole clusters and will spend 10 months in two-thirds new French oak. There will be just 225 cases produced

Jeb Dunnuck | 96 pts