2023 Samuel Louis Smith - Pinot Noir Pelio Vineyard (750ml)

Sam Smith built his winemaking reputation as the longtime winemaker for Morgan Winery, one of the Central Coast's most respected Pinot Noir producers, before launching his own label to explore where his personal style meets the region's coolest, most extreme sites. His path to Monterey ran through Oregon's Willamette Valley, the Northern Rhône, and a stint as assistant winemaker for Margerum Wine, giving him a broad frame of reference for balancing ripeness and restraint.

Pelio Vineyard sits just west of Laureles Grade in Carmel Valley, an area soon to be recognized as its own Carmel Coast AVA. Planted in 2003 at roughly 1,000 feet elevation and only seven miles from Monterey Bay, the organically farmed site sits on clay loam topsoil over ancient shale bedrock, a legacy of the seafloor that covered this land millions of years ago. The 2023 wine was made with 80 percent whole cluster fermentation using native yeast, then aged nine months in mostly neutral French oak before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

The wine shows fresh cut flowers, wild cherry, and a saline, sea breeze quality, layered with sweet herbs and red berries. Light bodied with elegant tannins and lively acidity, it pairs beautifully with seared ahi tuna, roasted quail, or a soft triple cream cheese.