2023 Soquel Vineyards Pinot Noir from Ben Lomond Mountain, Beauregard Ranch

Posted on May 30, 2025

Background on Pinot Noir in Italy

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The winemaker for Soquel Vineyards, Peter Bargetto of Italian descent, thought it was interesting his love of Pinot Noir. So 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”.

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While the Pinot Noir grape can be traced back to the 1^st 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

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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.

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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 notes. 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.

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This wine made my annual list of Best Wines Tasted in the year! Only 2-3% of the roughly 1800 wines tasted make this list. This wine will make the list for both quality and value. That makes two Soquel Vineyards making their debut on this list for the first time!

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

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Pulled this wine to pair this evening with a new dish for us called Balsamic Caprese Grilled Flank Steak. The flank steak was tenderized and marinated for 8 hours with the following ingredients: olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, kosher salt and black pepper. Separately cherry tomatoes, fresh Italian mozzarella balls, chopped fresh basil leaves and olive oil were mixed in a bowl. The steak was placed on the grill reaching 1500 degrees and then sliced. Served medium-rare on a plate with tomatoes, mozzarella balls, basil and then drizzled lightly with balsamic reduction.

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Accompanied by quartered and roasted Yukon potatoes with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

A wonderful and tasty food and wine combination. Was a bit “unsure” if the balsamic would be too much for the Pinot Noir, but it was nicely matched with just being lightly drizzled. As a first time preparing this dish, it was a solid A-. We discussed adding some additional spices into the marinade next time to give it a bit more zip.

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.

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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.

For more information about the winery and other wines they offer see a previous article at: https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/05/06/2023-soquel-vineyards-pinot-noir-santa-cruz-mountains/

In conclusion, a spectacular meal and an exquisite Pinot Noir wine were enjoyed last evening!

Sláinte,

Michael Kelly

https://californiawinesandwines.com

https://www.soquelvineyards.com