2011 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains)

If I had to choose one winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains that is moving fast into the upper echelon, it would be Fogarty. Many of the region's other top properties are already pretty established, but Fogarty is less well-known than some of their neighbors. Based on these wines, I can't imagine that is going to last too much longer. The Chardonnays are fermented with native yeasts and see some batonnage. Sadly, Fogarty did not bottle their Portola Springs and Damiana Chardonnays because the yields were too low. The 2010s are the first Chardonnays to be fermented entirely with native yeasts. The September 27 heat spike gave the Pinots a final kick of ripeness, and the fruit was harvested in the days that followed, while the Chardonnay was brought in around the middle of October. Like all of their neighbors, Fogarty endured poor weather during flowering that caused high amounts of shatter and low yields. The wines, though, make up for that with their superb quality. The 2011 harvest started on the 3rd week of September, two weeks later than normal. The 2011 Pinots spent 18 months in barrel, except for the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling, which saw 10 months in oak.