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Brick & Mortar, “Cougar Rock Vineyard” Pinot Noir

California, United States 2017 (750mL)
$49.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Brick & Mortar, “Cougar Rock Vineyard” Pinot Noir

A funny thing happened on the way to this offer: The same week the San Francisco Chronicle published an article detailing how Napa Valley winemakers, concerned about the warming climate, are experimenting with heat-resistant grapes such as Touriga Nacional and Aglianico, I tasted today’s delicate, perfumed, low-alcohol Pinot Noir—from the Napa Valley!
This 2017 from Brick & Mortar proves there’s more to Napa than meets the eye, especially as you scale the Mayacamas and Vaca Ranges, which rise sharply on either side of the valley floor. Up on Atlas Peak, in the Vaca Range, the “Cougar Rock Vineyard” climbs from 1,450 to 1,800 feet and is a rare bastion of cool-climate Pinot Noir in the Cabernet Sauvignon-soaked confines of Napa Valley. Having become intimately familiar with this site during his tenure at Antica Winery, Brick & Mortar winemaker/owner Matt Iaconis knew it would fit seamlessly into his Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-focused lineup, which also draws from well-placed vineyards along the Sonoma Coast and in Mendocino. Today’s “Cougar Rock Vineyard” Pinot is a uniquely delicious way to introduce Brick & Mortar’s wines to our customers: Had I tasted it blind, its finesse and vibrant energy might have fooled me into thinking it was from the extreme Sonoma Coast, or for that matter, Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Iaconis and his wife/co-owner, Alexis, are rising stars on the California wine scene, but as they’d be the first to tell you, the real stars are the vineyards. Check out this exceptional Pinot and you’ll see what I mean!
Brick & Mortar was founded in 2011 and Cougar Rock Vineyard was the original source of the label’s very first wines. Matt Iaconis had originally intended to study aeronautical engineering when he attended UC Davis but found himself drawn to wine and the viticulture/enology program instead. He followed an itinerant path for a while, as so many young winemakers do, making stops in New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and especially France, where an extended sojourn in Burgundy provided a lot of the inspiration for what would become Brick & Mortar. With the help of Alexis, a seasoned sommelier currently pursuing the Master Sommelier Diploma, he has focused his efforts at Brick & Mortar on single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines crafted in a finessed, Burgundian style. The roster of vineyards he is working with continues to grow: In addition to Cougar Rock, he sources fruit from the steep and rugged “La Perla” vineyard on Napa’s Spring Mountain; the “Sweetwater Springs” vineyard on the Sonoma Coast; and the “Manchester Ridge” vineyard in Mendocino County (among others).

With average temperatures in the Cougar Rock site a good 10 degrees cooler than those on the valley floor, Pinot Noir ripens more slowly and retains ample acidity to balance its sunny cherry fruit. Soils are a mix of decomposed granite and red clay, and Iaconis favors used oak barrels for aging to preserve primary fruit characteristics and minerality. Today’s 2017 spent 16 months in barrel before it was bottled unfined and unfiltered, and at a very modest 12.5% alcohol, it dances across the palate with great vibrancy and aromatic lift. In the glass, it’s a medium ruby moving to garnet and pink at the rim, with a nose like a basket-full of fresh-picked wild berries. Scents of cherry kirsch, strawberry, crushed raspberry, wet violets, tea leaves, dusty earth, and a hint of underbrush carry over to a medium-bodied palate, which is where its Californian personality reveals itself: there’s a hint of sappiness to the ripe fruit that is beautifully refreshed by a wave of acidity. The tannins are as silky and fine-grained as it gets and the finish is long, floral, and fruity—a terrific Pinot Noir for enjoying now and over the next few years. Serve it at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems with grilled salmon, roast chicken or pork and marvel at its freshness and versatility. No doubt we’ll be exploring the rest of the Brick & Mortar lineup as well, so stay tuned for more from this impressive young winery. Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesNapa Valley—Atlas Peak
Soil
Granite and Clay/Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
Used French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Stuffed Pork Chops

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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