McHenry Vineyard
Swan Clone Pinot Noir
Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
This is my first experience with the 2017 Swan Clone, a wine that hasn’t been made since 2014. The wine pours a hazy garnet. Soaring aromatics on the nose. One can almost smell the red woods that surround this tiny 2 acre vineyard perched high up on Bonny Doon Road only a handful of miles from the Pacific Ocean. A beguiling combination of fresh, bruised red forest berries and pie crust. On the palate, very primary with a mix of red and dark fruits with some earth and a touch of baking spice. Medium tannin and high acid with a long, saline finish. The finish just goes. Even better with food, this is a wine with a long future. It’s always a treasure to drink the Pinot Noirs of McHenry. Only 48 cases made.
This is my first experience with the 2017 Swan Clone, a wine that hasn’t been made since 2014. The wine pours a hazy garnet. Soaring aromatics on the nose. One can almost smell the red woods that surround this tiny 2 acre vineyard perched high up on Bonny Doon Road only a handful of miles from the Pacific Ocean. A beguiling combination of fresh, bruised red forest berries and pie crust. On the palate, very primary with a mix of red and dark fruits with some earth and a touch of baking spice. Medium tannin and high acid with a long, saline finish. The finish just goes. Even better with food, this is a wine with a long future. It’s always a treasure to drink the Pinot Noirs of McHenry. Only 48 cases made.
Aug 16th, 2021