I am thrilled to share these reviews on the 2023 Clarice Pinot Noirs with you. It is a singular, classic vintage and one that is not to be missed.
BILLY NORRIS FROM VINOUS
“Adam Lee retains his grassroots, bootstrapper, friendly-next-door-neighbor vibe despite the resounding commercial and financial success of Siduri…He loves what he does, and he’s not afraid to keep pushing himself—not to mention, he’s good at it. Lee loves the Santa Lucia Highlands, which is why it’s the sole focus of the Clarice label…Where Lee truly shines is in the high-quality, transparent, stylistically outlying wines he makes at Clarice. He’s not afraid of stems, and he’s not afraid to completely turn his own approach on its head from year to year, depending on what the vintage requires. We tasted through four vintages of his three Clarice cuvées—2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, all of which showed exceptionally well. If one thing is clear, these wines are built to last. The 2018s and 2019s are just beginning to open their eyes. These wines age like molasses, but that’s encouraging to see from such a relatively fledgling region…Most notably, the 2023s are unbelievably great. Mark my words. The 2023 Clarice Pinot Noirs may very well turn out to be among the best wines the region has ever spawned.”
2023 CLARICE WINE COMPANY GARYS’ VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
97 POINTS – VINOUS – “…the 2023 Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard feels like it’s already in the zone. Blue/purple fruit, violet candies and sweet lavender meet with exotic traces of Moroccan spices and coastal herbs. A wine with a mind-bending amount of layers, it’s clear that there’s an incredibly bright future here—a potential classic in the making.”
97 POINTS – JEBDUNNUCK.COM – “The 2023 Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard is expressive of the place out of the gates, with the site’s rockier terrain coming through in the more structured profile of the wine, with notes of dark stones, lavender, and black cherries. It’s ripe in structure, with broader shoulders and a penetrating richness through its long finish. It is going to demand time and has a noble feel all the way through.”
Order here: 2023 Clarice Wine Company Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir
2023 CLARICE WINE COMPANY SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR
96 POINTS – VINOUS – “…the 2023 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) is a stone-cold stunner. A rush of blue/purple fruit, deep, layered exotic spice tones and calibrated cooling acidity join together in a wine of supreme finesse. A slight decrease in the whole cluster usage in this even, long-hanging vintage worked so well. I can’t wait to taste this from bottle.”
96 POINTS – JEBDUNNUCK.COM – “ the 2023 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is mostly sourced from the Garys’ Vineyard, with roughly a quarter from the Rosella’s Vineyard. It’s fantastic at this early stage, offering spicy aromas of ripe black raspberries, violets, and wet stones that continues to the palate with a crunchy youthfulness. It’s going to take its time loosening its grip, as it has good tension all the way through, but this is going to be a vibrant vintage for this wine….”
Order here: 2023 Clarice Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (claricewinecompany.com)
2023 CLARICE WINE COMPANY ROSELLA’S VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
98 POINTS – TASTING PANEL MAGAZINE – Winemaker Adam Lee has created a wine that exhibits a well-developed and cared-for garden of jasmine and roses. It’s sleek, exciting intense, and exotic, with cherry blossom, maple, and sweet tobacco. A pinch of white pepper awakens hibiscus and tangerine on the memorable finish.”
96 POINTS – JEBDUNNUCK.COM – “A fantastic floral perfume lifts from the 2023 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard, comes from a site closer to the coast and sees some whole cluster on the Pommard clone in the blend. It’s both floral and spicy, with high-toned floral note that comes through along with notes of pomegranate. There’s linear acidity driving the wine forward with a fantastic tension at this young stage, and I love the electricity that comes through in this sample. This is my personal favorite of the barrel samples from this tasting, and it’s going to be a pleasure to check back in on this wine in another year.”
95 POINTS – VINOUS – “…the 2023 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard is a deeply spiced, floral, mineral-driven red. Tight and tannic, the 2023 is a sleeping giant right now, expressive as all get out on the nose but wound up like a ball of rubber bands in the mouth. Time, time, time.”
Order here: 2023 Clarice Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (claricewinecompany.com)
ORDER A MIXED-6-PACK OF THE 2023 PINOT NOIRS HERE: Mixed 6-Pack