The Sunny Slope vineyard may share the same vine spacing, clones, rootstocks, farming and winemaking techniques as their other properties, but its wines are remarkably different. The hallmark of Sunny Slope is its ethereal, high-toned nose of violets, plums and cedar. This 2014 is dense, structured, tannic, mouthfilling and age worthy. Sharp aromas of stewed black plum, cocoa dust, wild mint and baked soil show on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard 2,350 feet above the ocean. The tannins are firm and tight, carrying the black-cherry, earth and mint-chocolate flavors into the finish. Drink 2022–2039.

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points

About Clos de la Tech

In the quest to make the New World’s Best Pinot Noir, Clos de la Tech has experimented and studied a variety of old world and new world vine management techniques. Smaller berries make better Pinot Noir by producing a higher skin-to-pulp ratio. Clos de la Tech thins clusters down to 9-10 per vine, which results in more berries, crowding the cluster, and reducing the number of seeds per grape (that’s desirable, since the most astringent and bitter tannin resides only in seeds). The end result is very low yields and a very rich, concentrated wine.

Our name, Clos de la Tech (Klō deh lah Tĕk), was inspired by the great Burgundy Houses of France that often use the word ‘Clos’ – meaning ‘enclosed area’ – in their names and for the tech industry that thrives below our mountaintop vineyards.