Talbott Vineyards Pinot Noir Kali Hart, Estate Grown, Monterey, Central Coast, California 2014
$22.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas
100% estate grown Pinot Noir from Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. Open-top fermented. Aged in French oak (10% new) for nine months. The wine is named after Robb Talbott’s youngest daughter.
90 points – Wine Enthusiast
Deep ruby color with aromas of cranberry, red currant, and plum. Hints of vanilla. Red fruit flavors are also on the palate. Hints of vanilla and oak. Smooth tannins. Long finish.
Talbott Winery was originally owned by Robert and Audrey Talbott, the family that started the world famous garment company in 1950 in Monterey, California, which was initially a luxury tie company. During trade buying trips to France and Italy, they visited vineyards and became interested in fine wines. Due to their love for Burgundy wines and the cool climate of Monterey, they chose to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Robb Talbott
In 1982, Robert Talbott Sr.’s son, Robb, began planting their original Diamond T Estate vineyard in Carmel Valley which has become one of the Central Coast’s grand cru sites. The 14-acre vineyard was named after a truck that Robb restored in his pre-winery days. Choosing such as site went against conventional wisdom at the time because it was considered too cold and too difficult to plant on steep slopes at 1,200 feet above sea level.
In 1994, the Talbotts acquired the property of the legendary Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Sleepy Hollow is a 565-acre vineyard 18 miles east of Diamond T.
It was not long before Talbott Vineyards became a benchmark for quality in the Central Coast as its wines earned a reputation for their lushness, grace, and great ageing potential. Vineyard site locations and low yields to concentrate and intensify flavors were main contributions to this level of quality.
River Road block on the northern side of Sleepy Hollow is the location of the winery’s state-of-the-art winemaking facility. It was here that Robb and renowned winemaker Dan Karlsen ran the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir programs. Robb Talbott sold the winery to Gallo in 2016 and Karlsen left shortly thereafter. David Coventry, a Monterey native, replaced Karlsen. Conventry has had extensive winemaking experience in the Central Coast as various wineries. While at Morgan Winery, his wine made the 2005 Wine Spectator Top 100 list.
