This is a continuation of my short series (trilogy?) of Hahn Family Wines’ Lucienne portfolio, stemming from my first, more-personal write-up featuring the Lucienne Smith Vineyard Pinot Noir. Unlike Doctor’s Vineyard, I’m not as familiar with Lone Oak Vineyard, even though I had tasted from this vineyard during my time at the Hahn Winery. According to the winery, the146-acre certified sustainable Lone Oak Vineyard is at the northern-most end of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Cooled by ocean breezes from the Monterey Bay, the morning fog lingers until afternoon winds pick up, resulting in a long, cool growing season. The vineyard is situated on east-facing slopes with elevations ranging between 180 and 500 feet, and well-draining ancient alluvial soils.

Ready for a tasty Pinot Noir then…

About the Wine: The Lucienne Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes harvested from the Hahn family’s Lone Oak Vineyard, located in the Santa Lucia AVA of Monterey County, California. After harvest, the grapes were de-stemmed and hand-sorted before fermenting in open top tanks. The must underwent daily manual punchdowns. Once fermentation was completed, the free run juices were racked into 100% French oak barrels (40% new) to age for 13 months before bottling.

14.5% ABV

Flavor Profile: Open up the bottle of the Lucienne 2016 Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir and breathe in beautiful aromas of blueberries and blackberries along with a wet, beachy-sand mineralogy and a bit of ocean-umami funk.

This Pinot Noir presents a soft, delicate rouge on the pour, settling into the glass just the same but with a jewel-like shimmer at its core and a petal-pink perimeter. Initial aromas are of potpourri of aged rose petals, soft ocean breezes, with those fruits just lingering in the background. Swirl and release some of that acidity, giving those fruits vivacity.
The palate of the Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir is soft, smooth, and utterly floral. There’s a twinge of acidity that delicately pierces through the center. The finish is a crescendo of delicate tongue texture.  Dominant flavors are of flowers, raspberries, strawberries, milk chocolate, and basil.

Food Pairing: I paired the Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir with a spinach and mushroom pizza garnished with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes. Pizza and Pinot, what could go wrong? But what I particularly loved was the anise-like flavor of the fresh basil really played with those floral aromas in the wine, which I found quite romantic. The cruciferous spinach and the meaty mushrooms added a voluptuousness mouthfeel to the wine I did not notice upon first tasting as well as intensified the darker berry flavors first scented upon opening the bottle. I will also add here that as the evening progressed, this Pinot Noir absolutely opened up—that crescendoing texture at the finish seemed to soften, the floral aromas became more intense, and the overall body of the wine took on a rounder, curvier mouthfeel.

More Info: I received the Lucienne 2016 Lone Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir as a sample for review. (Cheers Ben!) Retail: $50. For more information about Hahn, their wines, and to purchase wines directly, please visit the Hahn Family Wines website.

BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page where you can contact me directly. Cheers!

**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.**

Leave a Reply