Scheid Family – Ranch 32 Pinot Noir 2021 Scheid Family

Get to know: Scheid Family – Ranch 32 Pinot Noir

Tasting Note

Pinot Noir from Monterey Counties, Arroyo Seco AVA. 12 months of ageing in 100% French oak adds complexity and rounds out the tannins, delicate cherries, raspberries and currants combine with hints of mocha and vanilla from the oak. Medium bodied with soft, velvety tannins and a long elegant finish.

A fantastic Pinot that really shows the quality of Monterey and pairs well with salmon or roast pork.

Producer Info

Al Scheid first saw untapped potential in Monterey County in 1972 when the wine region was in its infancy. What started as a grape growing operation that sold 100% of its production to other wineries today has evolved into a grapes-to-glass family business. Vineyards are located along a 70-mile spread of the Salinas Valley in the Monterey AVA. The array of microclimates and soils across the 3,000 acres farmed, gives Scheid Family Wines an optimal selection of estate grown fruit to work with each vintage. The unique range of temperatures and four distinct climatic zones allow for the cultivation of over 35 wine grape varieties, each planted in the location that is best suited to achieving the highest quality of fruit.

Scheid Family Wines estate vineyards have been certified sustainable since 2014 and its estate winery since 2018 through the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program. The entire winery operation is powered by 100% renewable wind energy generated by a 400-foot-tall wind turbine, which also supplies enough energy for 125 homes in the local community. Scheid Family Wines achieved organic certification of its 86-acre White Flower Vineyard in the Hames Valley AVA in 2020 and also farms a significant portion of its estate vineyards using organic farming methods.

On the west side of the Salinas Valley, directly in the path of Monterey’s relentless afternoon winds, sits Ranch 32. Consisting of only 18,240 acres, the Arroyo Seco AVA is one of the smallest, but one of the most diverse, AVAs in the state of California. Literally meaning “dry riverbed,” the AVA has extreme variations in topography and soil types. Deep in the canyon, vineyards are shielded from characteristic afternoon winds, but then as the canyon opens to the valley floor, the afternoon breezes off the Monterey Bay cool the grapes, regulating their growth and intensifying their fruit flavors.