TUDOR, 2005 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands MAGNUM (1.5L)

Tasting Notes
Nose: Many Central Coast producers described 2005 as the best vintage since the amazing 1986. This wine is no exception, with its elegant nose of cherry and red berries and cassis followed by an enticing dip into the winemaker's spice cabinet that brings aromatic pie spices to mind.

Palate:One sip and you can see why this winery is on the rise - the wine's solid structure provides a steady foundation from which hangs its ample fruit, which is balanced by just enough oak to be pleseant but not over-powering. A wonderful, long finish.

The Santa Lucia Highlands
This stretch of land is perhaps the best known growing area in Monterey county. The SLH AVA is found on the West side of Hwy 101 (and clearly visible to the West for a good 20 minutes as you drive down Hwy-101 through Salinas Valley). It is home to such well-known wines as Pisoni, Roar, and dozens of other great-but-lesser-knowns.

This Tudor pinot is more elegant than some of the big names you'll find from SLH. But it's no wallflower. Certainly capable of standing on its own during the cocktail hour, it is also very well-mannered at the table, proving an adept pairing partner with a wide array of medium-bodied dishes.

At a modest (by today's standards) 13.9% alcohol, this wine is more food-friendly than many high-scoring Pinots from the middle of the last decade - those that found a steroid-driven muscularity to be alluring when it came to getting high scores or standing out at tastings, but a big let-down when that same brainless brawniness was brought to the table (or stored for more than a few years!)