2019 Vive Le Soul Santa Lucia Highlands / Monterey County Pinot Noir
WINE NOTES
NAME:
Vive Le Soul
VARIETAL:
Pinot Noir
APPELLATION:
Santa Lucia Highlands / Monterey County
VINTAGE:
2019
When we started our boutique Wine + Music private membership, our very first wine was a 2016 Imagine Santa Lucia Highlands / Monterey County Pinot Noir. It was a spectacular wine that still tastes nearly perfect to this very day. At that time, it was our intention that when we found wines at this level of superior quality, we would try and buy them each year, as long as the wine continued to meet our standards.
After skipping a few vintages… along came this unbelievable 2019 vintage. It reminded us of our initial love affair with the 2016, and we bought it immediately.
To get familiar with Santa Lucia Highlands, refer back to my original notes by clicking here. You know it mostly as Monterey County, with Santa Lucia Highlands being the Filet Mignon cut of an outstanding Wagu steak.
We’ve found over time that the winemaker of this particular wine is a master at Pinot Noir. He has a style that allows the bright fruit from this coastal region to expressively shine through, and at the same time allows the earthiness from the soil to subtly show itself as well. This is a balance not easy to achieve.
The color of this wine is a rich ruby. And the wine is slightly cloudy, as this winemaker likes to keep the wine unfiltered to get to those depth of flavors. The nose is unmistakably Pinot-like in every way. Ripe cherry jumps out at you first and foremost, then subtle layers of leather and warm spices peek out from behind. After your first sip, you will immediately understand why we bought this wine once again. Following through with the aromas, a rich, ripe bowl of cherries and ripe strawberries come to the front. Then, as almost lined up and released on cue, unbelievable layers of leather, wet forest and tea leaf create this amazing complexity. It all finishes with a subtle oak for length and depth. Simply, a great wine from a great Pinot Noir winemaker.
Cheers - Eric 🍷
ARTWORK & DESIGN
How awesome is this label?!
My favorite Pinot Noir style typically has rich red fruit along with an earthiness, exactly like our wine here. It has a beautiful earthy complexity, yet at the same time a silky, fruit-driven profile which gives Pinot Noir its signature, classic style.
Emanating from the rough streets of Memphis, with Stax Records at the helm of the movement through the 60’s, Soul music embodies the very style of the Pinot’s we love. The music is on one hand gritty in nature, that grittiness coming straight from many challenging upbringings, yet on the other hand the music always has this amazing silkiness and depth of character only found when experience and talent come together with beauty and grace. Simply listen to a Sam Cooke song and everything our Vive Le Soul label represents will come through your speakers very clearly.
Continuing with our Vive Le (Long Live…) series of wines, and inspired by so many Soul records that defined an era, we designed a label that is a signature 45 rpm record. We took time on the many details, making sure it has the same worn look, signature muted yellow color, glossy label and finally our favorite feature, grooves only found on the records that featured many of these legendary songs. You’re going to be in the groove of this wine just like a needle on vinyl.
Plan on our very special Vive Le Soul label to be a repeating part of our wine portfolio for a long time to come.
Mindi 🎶
MUSIC
As I mentioned previously, connecting this style of Pinot Noir with Soul music is as simple as listening to the many artists found here on this awesome playlist. You will listen to artists like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and the legendary Sam Cooke… all the icons of Soul. This music is deep, thoughtful, and emotive in so many ways, just like this Pinot Noir. It’s bold, but with finesse. It’s strong, but with a beautiful grace. It reaches deep inside and makes me feel. Sip generously, listen loudly, repeat often. And Vive Le (long live) Soul!
CLICK BELOW TO LAUNCH SPOTIFY AND LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST