Last week I posted a rather personal anecdote about Hahn’s Lucienne Smith Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is another from that same label, this one hailing from Doctor’s Vineyard—a vineyard I’ve become quite acquainted with in my tasting around the Santa Lucia Highlands. During my time at Hahn Family Winery, we dove deep into what differentiates their various vineyards. The Doctor’s Vineyard isn’t the highest nor the lowest elevated of the estate vineyards, but is right in the center of the SLH AVA. Thus, it receives a bit more sunlight than other portions. And wider vine row spacing (11 feet by 7 feet) means these Pinot Noir grapes get quite a bit of sun exposure after the morning Monterey fog blows off. So what exactly does that all taste like?

About the Wine: The Luciene 2016 Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes harvested from Doctor’s Vineyard located in Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highland AVA. After harvest, grapes were de-stemmed and hand sorted before fermenting in open-top tanks where they underwent manual daily punchdowns. Free run juices were racked into 100% French oak barrels (50% new) where it aged for 13 months.

14.5% ABV

Flavor Profile: Open the bottle of the Lucienne 2016 Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir and find rich red and purple fruit aromas with hints of oak and green herbs. This Pinot Noir presents a dark, dusty purple on the pour, settling into the glass a bit more red, a kind of heady-rouge in the center and fading out to an orange-ish tint.

Initial aromas are quite herby with basil and spearmint, and you can certainly sense the acidity straight away. Swirl and find the wine’s voluptuousness with plump wild strawberries, slightly over-ripe raspberries, and bing cherries. There’s a sense of dark rose petals and a background of oak wood. Float the nose away from the glass and the warmth of a hot day with sun-kissed sand beneath your feet.
The palate of the Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is soft with an even, light acidity, a wonderfully floral perfume, and an absolutely clean finish. Dominant flavors are of milk chocolate, rose petals, basil, red cherry, over-ripe raspberries and a hint of vanilla.

Food Pairing: I paired the Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir with a cedar plank salmon served with a wild mushroom, wild rice pilaf and grilled broccolini. I was most impressed by how well this wine played with the broccoli—a cruciferous, sometimes over powering vegetable that can almost negate a wine, especially one as delicate as Pinot Noir. But the Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir not only held its own, it “played well” with the funky veg. The meaty, somewhat funky, mushrooms added a round richness to the wine’s texture and amplified it’s innate soft mouthfeel. Perfect pairing? I’d say so.

More Info: I received the Hahn Family Wines Lucienne 2016 Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir as a sample for review. (Cheers Ben!) Retail: $45. For more information about Hahn, their wines, and to purchase wines directly, please visit the Hahn Family Wines website.

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**Please note: all reviews and opinions are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.**

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