La Petite Grace

Named for the golden hills of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range that frames our family-owned San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey, Diora is inspired from “d’Or,” the French phrase meaning “golden” and bestowed on beautiful, sun-filled regions. No effort has been spared along Diora’s 30-year journey from vineyard-to-bottle. The result is an expressive Pinot Noir overflowing with flavor, depth and personality and a devotion to indulgence.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTE

Dark ruby in the glass, aromas of dark cherries and raspberry mingle with nuances of licorice. Soft and velvety, robust with a voluptuous and full-bodied mouthfeel, the palate unfolds with decadent layers of intense chocolate-covered dark red cherries, and a delicate hint of wild sage. A long, lingering finish instills a lasting impression of rich, concentrated flavors.

— James Ewart, Winemaker

Wine Vintage Report

The 2021 Monterey growing season had cool and moderate weather return to Monterey County and made harvest more aligned with a typical coastal winegrowing timeline. Mild temperatures, overnight fog and afternoon winds provided extra hang-time desired for great phenolic development which this region typically enjoys. With no real significant heat spikes, the grapes were allowed to slowly ripen and create intense fruit flavors. This was a harvest of excellent quality.

Pinot Noir Viticulture

About half of the fruit for this Pinot Noir comes from San Bernabe Vineyard and half from Santa Lucia Highlands. The prevailing afternoon winds that funnel down from the Monterey Bay allow for a fast cooling early in the afternoons. These sandy soils are free draining, allowing the vines to develop deep root systems, developing healthier vines. Our San Bernabe grapes contribute the red fruit complexity of our blend. The other half of the blend comes from Santa Lucia highlands which sees cooler maximum temperatures, it is a long narrow strip that runs down east south of the Santa Lucia Highlands Foothill with dense early fog, and breeze that burns off in the late morning. Darker fruit aromas, and tannins are obtained from Santa Lucia Highlands allowing us to add layers, and complexity to our final blend.

Winemaking

Our veteran winemaker, James Ewart, oversees the team and the small-lot winery built in the vineyard. We picked when the fruit was fully ripe and showing dark berry flavors, saving about 10% of every lot to achieve higher concentrations of flavors, and cold soak up to 5 days for higher color extraction. Lots were kept separate as much as possible and fermented in small batches. These were punch downed and pumped over, over a course of 10-14 days before the fermenters were gently pressed to barrels. The winemaking yeast selection for this blend was a rough split between D254, and RC212. D254 helps with extracting color, smooth tannins, longer finish, and enhancing dark fruit aromas. RC212 that helps with structure, brighter fruit, and spiciness. After primary fermentation was completed the wines underwent a “secondary fermentation” which helps soften and round the palate. Following this the wines were “racked” out of barrels and returned to barrels to continue aging to round the tannins. The winemaking team tasted the individual lots periodically to ensure quality and select the best blocks for the final blend.

Barrel Regime

This wine was aged in predominantly French barrels. One of our favorite coopers is François Frères which adds dark toasty notes and gives the wine nice length. A portion of these barrels had their heads toasted to really accentuate those toasty aromas. The wine spent about twelve months in barrels (~33% new) before blending when James tasted each lot and selected the lots for the final blend.

Pairing

Richly flavored and full-bodied, this Pinot Noir does not shy away from heartier fare. Serve with a dry-rubbed porterhouse steak, roast duck – the pairings are endless.

TECHNICAL NOTES

• Vintage: 2021
• Appellation: ~ 1/2 from Santa Lucia Highlands ~ 1/2 from San Bernabe Vineyard
• Aging: 12 months in barrel (~33% new)
• pH: 3.69
• Total Acid: 0.56 G/100ml
• Alcohol: 14.5% by volume