2022 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Thomas Fogarty Winery has been one of the preeminent producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Santa Cruz Mountains since the late 1970s. Their estate incorporates several marginal sites that present unique challenges in ripening grapes. I tasted the full range of 2022s. Asked about the 2022 growing season, winemaker Nathan Kandler notes, “It was one of the most challenging vintages from a mental aspect I’ve ever had. The whole time, I was just trying to wrap my head around it. We had awful fruit-set in the spring, painfully low yields, and then that Labor Day heat was tough.” Kandler made adjustments in the winery to compensate for low yields and inconsistent phenolic ripeness, turning to cooler fermentations and lighter pressing across the board.

The 2022 Chardonnays have notably less of the mineral drive and tension they show in more favorable growing seasons, but they are still commendable. The 2022 Pinot Noirs are quite a bit more compelling despite the difficulties of the year. However, there is definite variation within the range that shows how the different sites weathered the heat to varying degrees of success. All of the wines from the Rapley Trail Vineyard sing, as per usual.