Matt Forester

9.4

Bramble, blackberry, wild, touches of pyrazine. Winner of small scale couthern hemisphere Cab tasting. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

If you’ve been following me on CT or Delectable for while, you’ve probably read some of my tasting notes on the Pinot Noirs from McHenry Vineyard. Few are aware that this special vineyard, way up on Bonny Doon Road, even exists. Fewer probably know that the McHenry family have been quietly producing wine from this vineyard for over 40 years. It has never been easy. Not only are the vines own-rooted, they have also had to deal with some devastating fires over the years. And yet, despite the challenges, the McHenry’s remain committed to growing Pinot Noir and making truly special wine.

As I have mentioned in the past the winery was destroyed by the CZU Lightening Complex Fire in August of 2020. The vines survived but no wine from the vineyard was made that year (obviously). While the winery gets rebuilt, the fruit from the McHenry Vineyard has been made with care by their neighbor, Ryan Beauregard. The McHenry’s are still making a lot of the decisions but they are working around the Beauregard’s schedule. 2021 represents the first year of this collaboration and the results are nothing short of incredible.

Popped and poured; consumed over the course of a week with the help of a “Repour” stopper. A little austere on Day 1 but it was obvious the quality was super high and unmistakably McHenry. As hilarious as this may read, this was best on Day 7. The 2021 Swan Clone pours very pretty ruby with medium viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with beguiling aromas of the tiniest forest strawberries, dark cherries, anise, some tomato leaf, some beets, a touch of clove, a mix of red and purple flowers, limestone minerals and some beautiful, soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts forever and it’s got a lovely savory thing going on. This is a wow wine with a long, bright future ahead. You can drink now with patience but this will drink best after 2026 and probably be stunning through 2040. How will I keep my hands off my remaining bottles? Only 100 cases were produced.
— 10 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

And they call this their “second” wine. After McHenry in Santa Cruz, Seavey was an absolute show stopper for me on our recent trip to wine country. We had the opportunity to try five different wines with three bonus pours from recent and library wines and I tell you: All 👏🏼 eight 👏🏼 were 👏🏼 bangers 👏🏼. From their Chardonnay (which was sprung on us the moment we arrived, was acid driven and had the most delightful spine of minerals that I could have sworn it was GC Chablis), to their Rosé (which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and bends what’s possible with the genre) to their Founder’s Reserve (which didn’t present much in the value dept. but was a killer wine nevertheless). Anyway, this 2005 Caravina is positively singing right now. Opulent amounts of plums, cassis, brambles, and sweet tobacco with secondary characteristics juuuuust starting to make their appearance: leather, truffle, and forest floor. Moderate acid. Firm tannins still! What a beauty...in a sort of masculine way. America! — 5 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

World class Chardonnay from Margaret River. All of their Chardonnay offerings are worth buying. A deft touch. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

The 2020 vintage presented many challenges for wine producers around the world but the fires in California added a layer of complexity that nobody needed. Many of the producers I enjoy didn’t even make red wine and if they did, it was never released. For some, the effects were more catastrophic. Unfortunately for McHenry Vineyard, the situation was the latter. Not only was the entire crop lost to smoke taint in the CZU Lighting Complex Fire but the winery and most of the structures on the property were destroyed. They even lost some of the majestic redwoods that have surrounded the vineyard for centuries. Despite the pandemic and the destruction, Brandon and Annelisa were resolved to rebuild. However, with the crop lost and nowhere to make wine for the foreseeable future, they had to enlist some help. In the near term, Brandon was able to purchase fruit from the Christie Vineyard in Corralitos (the longtime source for Storrs Winery & Vineyard) and John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli came in the with the assist; just as he had in the production of the 2019 vintage. The fruit from Christie Vineyard is more Dijon heavy than McHenry’s estate vineyard but John did a great job of honoring the McHenry approach and style. The results were remarkable.

Popped and poured and enjoyed over a four hour period, the 2020 McHenry “Christie Vineyard” pours a bright, luminous ruby color with a transparent core. No obvious staining of the tears; medium+ viscosity. On the nose, bright ripened cherries, raspberries, roses, cloves and other spices. The wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. The finish is long. The overall impression is fresh, juicy and full of life. Like all vintages of McHenry, production is minuscule with only 150 cases produced.

As a sort of epilogue, Mother Earth giveth and taketh away. For all of the gifts that California’s climate brings to the production of wine, they are not immune to the whims of nature and these sorts of stories are becoming more and more common. With that being said, there have been at least two other occasions in McHenry’s past where they have been forced to purchase fruit or choose not release wine due to fire or pests. Unfortunately, this will probably not be their last but as long as they are determined to make beautifully balanced Pinot Noir way up on Bonny Doon Road, I will be drinking them. — 2 years ago

Mike Searby

8.9

Plums and menthol. Very quaffable. — 4 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.3

Stunningly gorgeous! A blend of 3 vineyards. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Brought to Tasting Group. The 2021 Estate Grown pours a pale ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of strawberry Jolly Ranchers, cranberries, raspberries, some VA, a light kiss of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium(+?) acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is an elegant wine with notable texture and in some serious need for time in the cellar. Fun to try now but this will be better after 2026 and should be full stride by 2031. Expect a long life. Only 200 cases produced. — 9 months ago

Arecibo Message

9.2

Huh, who knew? It reminds me of the light cherry effervescence of McHenry, but a bit watered down and soda pop. Like pleasant drunky black cherry soda. — 4 years ago

with jo

Jay Kline

9.2

This is a long story but worth the read. McHenry Vineyard, which is own-rooted and dry-farmed, was replanted back in the 90’s. While they waited for their vines to mature, they purchased some fruit and this is one of those examples.

The first time I ever had this wine was back in 2007 with some dear friends of ours, celebrating a birthday. Her father was a construction executive who periodically travelled to the Bay Area and happened to bring a few bottles of McHenry back on one of his trips. I was early in my wine journey and remember thinking back then, “This wine is gorgeous and, wow, has it aged really well…for a California Pinot Noir”. In that instant, McHenry became a darling winery for me and I have been enjoying their wines ever since.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2019 when I first visited the vineyard. I mentioned to Brandon that my introduction to McHenry wines was the 1999 Massaro Vineyard and before I new it, he had pulled a bottle from the library. The wine instantly brought me back to that experience in 2007. He even agreed to sell me a bottle to take with me too! Anyway, on this night, since I was with the same group of friends from my first experience 13 years ago.

In the glass, this shows signs of age. There is some sediment and the rim shows a slight brownish tint. On the nose, the fruit is still very alive! A mix of dark and red fruits are the predominate feature but secondary characteristics of mushrooms, leather and damp earth are riding shotgun. On the palate, dried dark and red fruits with mushrooms. The finish is long and satisfying…almost candied in a way. The wonderful structure that McHenry wines are known for has done its job and there’s still life in this bottle and worked very well with the meal.

If you’re still reading this, I should share that McHenry Vineyard suffered heavy damage due to the CZU Lightning Complex fires. The winery, one of the dwellings, their well system and their entire library was lost. The vineyard itself sustained some damage but should be okay. The 2020 crop is a complete write-off. That being said, they were able to secure some fruit from the Christie Vineyard in Corralitos so there will be a small 2020 vintage after all. The family’s heart remains bound to this land up on Bonny Doon and their special vineyard. They are already in the process of rebuilding and I, for one, am very much looking forward to drinking their wines long into the future. — 4 years ago