This very limited release of only 94 cases is trademark cool-climate Chardonnay.  It displays fresh apple, lemon and citrus notes on the nose.  On the palette, tropical fruit and citrus character, with just a touch of warm, spicy, vanillin-oak.  The wine's structure and refreshing acidity makes it an incredibly versatile match for a variety of foods like pan roasted white fish or raw shell fish or sushi.

90 Points Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Double Gold - 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Gold - 2017 New York International Wine Competition

Gold - 2017 West Coast Wine Competition (West meets East)

Silver - 2017 Denver International Wine Competition

Silver - 2017 Northwest Food & Wine Competition

Silver - 2017 Monterey International Wine Competition

Silver- 2017 International Womens Wine Competition

Silver - 2018 Orange County Wine Society Wine Competition

Silver - 2018 San Antonio Livestock Show Wine Competition

Silver - 2018 Winemakers Challenge

Silver - 2018 Toast of the Coast Wine Competition

Price: $35.00  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

"The Matriarch" is an umapologetically "big" wine.  Intense green peach, nectarine with a touch of creamy lemon frosting aromas and flavors meld seamlessly with a pretty stream of vanilla, creme brulee and spice from the new French oak cooperage.  Our trademark cool climate acidity keeps the wine in balance, along with a streak of minerality.  A perfect match with cream-sauced pastas or roast turkey or chicken and Cioppino.  Only 96 cases made!

87 Points Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Platinum - 2017 Northwest Food & Wine Competition

Gold - 2018 Texsom International Wine Awards

Gold - 2017 Denver International Wine Competition

Gold - 2017 New York International Wine Competition

Silver - 2018 San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition

Silver - 2017 International Women's Wine Competition

Price: $40.00  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Friends,

“Reserve” is a title that is thrown around pretty liberally in the wine industry, often without a whole lot of meaning. Most terms on a wine label have solid statistics or legal requirements behind them. For the wine to be called Pinot Noir, it needs to be at least 75% of that varietal. To list an official AVA like Arroyo Seco, at least 85% of the grapes have to come from within that appellation’s boundaries. But “Reserve” in the U.S. has no such definition, no required components. For the most part, it is simply a marketing moniker.

Until now. “The Reserve” is Blair Estate’s ultimate Pinot Noir. Everything about this wine is exceptional. “The Reserve” designation here has real meaning. Simply put, it is hand selected from the very best vines each vintage – held in “reserve” for special treatment and special occasions.

Here’s an excerpt from my vineyard log book from the 2014 vintage: “October 10. Walking Delfina’s, I left the refractometer behind and hand sampled for the very best grapes. Trusting my palate, I selected just enough fruit for five barrels worth of truly exceptional Pinot Noir. Clone 115 came from rows 15 thru 18. Rows 54 thru 57 gave us Clone 777. In 2014 we added Clone 667 from rows 44 & 45. And Pommard 4 came off the north blocks rows 31 & 32 and the south block’s rows 71 through 74.” These were the grapes destined for this second ever “The Reserve” release.

Only 125 cases were produced of Blair Estate 2014 “The Reserve.” The 2014 "The Reserve has recieved 92 Points from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and a Double Gold from the 2018 New Orleans Interanational Wine Competition. This is the Blair family’s ultimate statement in Pinot Noir from the Arroyo Seco – clearly putting the vineyard and the appellation on the map with California’s very best PN locales.

Respectfully, Jeffrey Blair

Price: $65.00  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Using free run and a light press, fifty percent of the juice was fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels; the other fifty percent in small stainless steel barrels to preserve the lush fruit character. Battonage, lees stirring, was done once a week. The result is a limited release of only 125 cases that is everything a Pinot Gris should bve: lush tropical fruit flavors allied to bright, refreshing acidity. Made in a drier, "Alsatian style", it is delicious now but will also reward patient cellaring over the next two to three years.  It's a natural pairing for shellfish, chicken & pork.