Santa Cruz Mountains
2023 Soquel Vineyards Pinot Noir, Beauregard Ranch
Background on Pinot Noir in Italy
Picture from Wikipedia
The winemaker for Soquel Vineyards, Peter Bargetto of Italian descent, thought it was interesting his love of Pinot Noir. Thus a little exploration of the history of Pinot Noir in Italy was due. Most wine aficionados associate Pinot Noir with France and California, yet Italy is steeped in Pinot Noir history. The name Pinot Noir translated from the French as “pine and black”. The pine describes the tightly clustered pinecone shaped of grape bunches. The black referencing the color of the grapes. The tightly bunched clusters of Pinot Noir make it very susceptible to both mildew and uneven ripeness compared to other varieties. With a late summer rain, Pinot Noir has been called the “heartbreak grape” due to its shaped clusters. A great quote by noted California winemaker, Andre Tchelistcheff stated aptly “God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir”.
Map of Northern Italy by http://www.mapsofworld.com
While the Pinot Noir grape can be traced back to the 1st Century, it does have a rich and long history in Italy. In Italy in the Alpine northern regions of Alto Adige and Lombardia. Some of the first references to Pinot Noir, called Pinot Nero in Italy, trace back to the 1700’s being cultivated in vineyards. Pinot Nero is popular in the Franciacorta region of Lombardy where it is used to make sparkling wine. While being one of the oldest cultivated grapes with unknown but debated origins, it is speculated that the Romans brought the grape to Burgundy and Italy. Other areas in Italy producing Pinot Noir include Friuli Venezia Giulia and Tuscany.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This Pinot Noir comes from Beauregard Ranch grapes located in Ben Lomond, California in Santa Cruz County. The vineyard is located at 1800 feet elevation.
It was aged in 100% French oak barrels ranging from 1-3 years of age for 24 months. Only 127 cases were produced and is sold for $50/bottle. It is 13.2% alcohol. Wine Enthusiast in 2025 just recently rated it 96 points and at the 2025 SF Chronicle Wine Competition it was awarded a Gold Medal.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes a light crimson and purple coloring, presenting a semi-translucent presence, highlighting its “light and airy” appearance. On the nose the dominant aroma of freshly picked strawberries and damp forest waft deep into the senses. Once on the palate, the strawberries awaken in the mouth like a crashing musical cymbal and then settling down in the mouth like a soft and dainty piccolo note. Secondly, flavors of minerality followed closely providing a mouth-filling experience. At the end, tingling tannins with crisp acidity provide an intriguing scenario. A tinge of cranberry provide a slight tartness that is counter-balanced with the strawberry and raspberry fruit.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Pulled this wine to pair this evening with a baked Italian chicken rollatini. It is baked breaded fileted chicken filled with prosciutto and smoked provolone cheese. Ingredients included kosher salt, black pepper, EVOO, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, prosciutto and butter.
Accompanied by sauteed gnocchi with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a fresh garden salad with bacon.
A wonderful and tasty food and wine combination. Was a bit “unsure” of trying the Pinot Noir with the chicken dish, but it was very good as the prosciutto flavors developed the chicken and the wine was solid. The wine offered low tannins and the fruits of strawberries and raspberries combined with the acidity of the wine, did not overpower the chicken.
The Winery
The winery is steeped in history going back to 1919 with Giovanni Bargetto purchasing 52 acres. Giovanni Bargetto moved to Soquel from his winery located in San Francisco. He sold the entire property in 1945. In 1999 they had the vision to purchase 5 ½ acres from the original 52 acres. Today the winery is located at 8063 Glen Haven Road, Soquel, California. Soquel is just south of Santa Cruz and up in the hills above New Brighton State Beach. Giovanni was the grandfather of two of the current owners, Peter Bargetto and his twin brother Paul Bargetto. The third owner is their long-time good friend Jon Morgan.
Photo from Soquel website
They opened the winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1987. All three kept their “day jobs” for about 10 years learning to craft their wines. Grapes grown on their property and in the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA includes a variety of Pinot Noir’s (six different labels), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Nebbiolo. They offer the following varieties from outside the region: Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak Merlot, Pyramid (Partner’s Reserve) from Napa Valley, Re Summers Ranch Merlot and Red Blend.
In conclusion, a spectacular meal and an exquisite Pinot Noir wine were enjoyed last evening!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwines.com