What To Expect At Santa Lucia Highlands Sun, Wind & Wine Festival
Do you love wines with character, flavor, and a true sense of place?
Do you love local seasonal food, live music, and beautiful, rugged scenery of California’s central coast? If so, you should consider attending the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival.
On Saturday, May 14, wine lovers will congregate the Mer Soleil Winery for a fantastic celebration of Santa Lucia Highlands wine and delicious bites. If you’ve never attended the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Festival before, here is what you can expect: DELICIOUS!
If you’re looking for more specific details, well, then please ready your palate for an assortment of exceptional wines, mostly chardonnay and pinot noir, with a smattering of other varietals. You’ll find pinot noir bubbles, still pinot noir, and rose of pinot noir.
Why? Because the Santa Lucia Highlands is a wind-driven, cool climate AVA known for exceptional pinot noir production. The Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival showcases the best of the region. Bring an empty belly and a curious palate for best results.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
Perhaps the Santa Lucia Highands AVA is new to you.
You’re to be forgiven since the region itself is a mere 18 miles long, 2 miles wide. Yes, that is teeny, teeny for a world-class grape-growing region, especially one growing such consistently high-quality fruit.
If the SLH is new to you, that’s all the more reason to consider joining me at the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival.
I’ll be pouring my 2018 Soberanes Vineyard pinot noir, which is the current release. But I’ll ALSO be pouring the 2016 vintage, a library wine, for the VIP hour. I’ve allocated only 3 bottles for this event, and I’ll pour the ’16 until the bottles are empty, so please be timely!
An absolutely breathtaking view from the Santa Lucia Highlands
Other details make this festival special. Unlike other wine festivals, at our SLH event, winemakers, winery principals, and grape growers are on hand to pour for consumers.
This is an opportunity for wine lovers and consumers to meet the talent and makers behind the wine brands you love. Every SLH grower and winemaker is passionate about expression of site, so look for crisp chardonnays singing with vibrant acidity and flavorful pinot noirs with deep color, intensity, and rich texture.
Vinous magazine just published a review of SLH wine. Here’s what reviewer Josh Raynolds writes: “the wines are marked by strong flavor intensity, but with no excess weight. Finely etched, precise fruit is a hallmark, while the wines should age gracefully on their balance and well-integrated tannins.”
Sounds delicious, right? If you’d like the opportunity to sip these wines for yourself, please join me at the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival on May 14, 2022.
This gorgeous view via Wine Traveler
Although the Santa Lucia Highlands sits within the broader umbrella of Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands is classified as its own distinct AVA, American Viticultural Area.
Characterized by Pacific fog and brisk afternoon winds, the SLH wine growing region is a world class terroir perfectly calibrated for chardonnay and pinot noir. Even more exciting, 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the AVA.
Thus, the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival celebrates both the wines of the region and the 30-year milestone. Although I only produce one wine from this super stellar region, I am a vocal and passionate promoter of this AVA.
Terroir is evident with every sip, as wines from north to south express different flavor profiles and distinct aromatic stamps, making it an ideal region for wine exploration.
And I can tell you about soil, fog, wind, and hang time. You can read about soil, fog, wind, and hang time. But nothing will imprint your palate better than tasting these wines yourself. Join me at the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival and taste these wines for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
If you love white wine, come explore the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival. Likewise, if you love red wine come explore the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival.
I’ll share one more brief quote from Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media, “Both whites and reds display noteworthy detail and vivacity.” Indeed they do! He also notes “very good concentration” and “fine balance.” In other words, come to the Santa Lucia Highlands 2022 Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival to taste your favorite wines, discover new producers, and explore the unique impact of site and terroir on pinot noir. You will be delighted and inspired by every sip.