Having had enough experience in the wine biz to understand the broad picture, it is almost amusing to us how much of the industry spends its time trying to bamboozle the public with ‘smoke and mirrors’ or, worse yet, proceed without any clue what the market really needs. There are also, in truth, many glaring deficiencies in the marketplace that are easily identifiable to anyone who takes the time to look. Unfortunately, many of the efforts to fill those needs are, shall we say, not really solutions. Take for example value priced Pinot Noir. There are countless dull, overmanipulated, or just plain crummy ‘candidates’ that offer themselves to bargain buyers. Finding something actually viable is cause for celebration.
We can’t say we’ve ever heard of Lucky Rock before. In truth, the label picturing a snake coiled around a pickax and the fact that they also produced wine in cans gave us cause to pause. But in the end, the juice was plush, generous and, most importantly, honest, and the price was right. That’s what made it a worthwhile addition.
A look at how they talk about themselves gives a good clue about where these folks are coming from, “Some blather about “terroir” 🙄 but we’re essentially talking about micro-regions. Yeah there is a lot more science-y stuff to it, but this is the essence of what is important. Too many wineries get all hung up on The Vineyard as the be-all/end-all, forgetting that where it is from is only important if it’s making what’s in the bottle good.”
“At Lucky Rock Wine Co., the name of the vineyard or the valley isn’t important, it’s whether it makes a better wine – solo or blended. We find incredible Pinot Noir vineyards that almost magically blend together in the bottle to create a seamless, harmonious, delicious whole…Each vineyard is chosen for some specific quality in the grapes – a certain flavor, some pop of acid, a select smell. We mix when it serves the taste buds, and don’t when it rhymes on its own.
“The vineyards are in the service of our Lucky Rock County Cuvée Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. That’s why our labels list the counties with the best damn vineyards we’ve found, whether it be one or several. Our wines aren’t pretending to be some swanky, expensive French Grand Cru Burgundy or Bordeaux Blanc, but those vineyards, with a bit of our help in the winery, make wines that are just as worthy (and a whole lot less pricey) for throwing down with Beethoven or bumping Kendrick.”
Within that context, this particular version, the Lucky Rock Pinot Noir County Cuvee 2021, is a mix of 70% Sonoma fruit with the other 30% coming from Monterey County. The fruit is dark red sporting flavors of black cherry, pomegranate, and red berries, with some surprising weight, and notes of spice, subtle savory herbs and a touch of tea. Plump, juicy, and ample, this is distinctly varietal but also with the kind of substance that might appeal to a broader audience as it is no shrinking violet at 14.1% ABV.
The label states ‘family owned and operated’ (brothers Aaron and Jesse Inman) and everything about their presentation makes the point that the intent is to make enjoyable, fruit driven Pinot at a great price, without any particular concern about if it was going to be served to the British royalty (“Wines made with intension not pretension” is prominently on their website). It also has a screw cap so you don’t have to worry about it being corked, or even having a corkscrew on hand. This is definitely ‘Pinot for the people’ done right and, like they say, that’s the important part.
By the way, as it turned out, this wasn’t a complete shot in the dark. Our research later found that prior releases from these folks were given nice words by James Suckling on a couple of wines and their 2019 Pinot Noir was included in a Wine Spectator article entitled “10 Stellar West Coast Pinot Noirs Under $30”. Guess this time we were a little late to the party which doesn’t happen very often. In any case a good new source for value Pinot is always welcome.