2019 XANDER SOREN Pinot Noir Central Coast

Xander Soren’s Central Coast Pinot Noir is the product of two renowned vineyards in the Central Coast, La Encantada and Sierra Mar. La Encantada (which means “enchanted” in Spanish) is a cool site located just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean at the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. It was planted by Richard Sanford, a pioneer of the region. Sierra Mar, in the Santa Lucia Highlands, was planted by another renowned regional winegrower, Gary Francsioni. At an elevation of 300 m., Sierra Mar is a much sunnier site even if it is not significantly warmer. Blending the two makes for a succulent wine that expresses delicate red berry notes, minerality, as well as riper, concentrated flavors, and a rich mouthfeel. A wonderful Pinot Noir that combines the best of the coastal and high-elevation styles, it was aged 17 months in 25% new oak.

Winery

Winery Description

Xander Soren is the mind behind a radical wine venture that’s been years in the making: developing a high-end Pinot Noir designed specifically to pair with Japanese cuisine. After a career in Silicon Valley that included over 20 years with Apple, where he worked on such iconic products as the iPod, Garageband, and iPhone ringtones, he turned his attention to a more genteel set of passions: wine, Japanese culture and Japanese cuisine. Yet his vision and business model are a far cry not only from fast-paced Silicon Valley but from what’s typical in California wine as well. For in addition to honing his brand to appeal to Japanese connoisseurs, he’s decided to limit his production to around 600 cases per vintage - a boutique wine business for sure!

For Xander’s style of Pinot Noir, he is focusing on cooler appellations, especially the Santa Rita Hills, which, because of its unique terroir, can produce wines that rival those of Burgundy.　Xander sources fruit from historic vineyards such as La Encantada, Sanford & Benedict, Sierra Mar, and Olivet Lane. He is also honored to use grapes from Yuki Vineyard, owned by Japanese producer Akiko Freeman on the Sonoma Coast.

Xander’s winemaker is Shalini Sekhar, a rising star (2015 Winemaker of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2019 Winemaker to Watch) who has made wine at Williams Selyem, Stag’s Leap, and her own label called Ottavino. She also produces wine - especially Pinot Noir — for a number of small boutique labels through her custom crush operation. Winemaking at Xander Soren is non-intrusive and labor-intensive, which necessarily results in limited production. Not only vineyard blocks but clones are elevated and aged separately in carefully-selected French oak barrels and blended before bottling to ensure excellent balance. Refreshing acidity, bright flavors balanced by darker notes and character, and, above all, lower levels of alcohol are necessary to pair with sukiyaki, wagyu, tempura, and, perhaps, even sushi. Many of the wines are produced in amounts of less than 100 cases.

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