
2018 Neely "Upper Picnic Block - Spring Ridge Vineyard" Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
93
Vinous
Review Date: 09/2024The 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Upper Picnic Block is eminently charming in its sweet-fruited, exuberantly spiced, medium-weight build. Layers of kirsch, raspberry sauce, cinnamon, cardamom and iodine mark a wine of sexiness and sensuality. Again, this is a style reflective of a different era for Neely. Growing season differences notwithstanding, the 2018 checks in at 14.1% alcohol, nearly two full degrees higher than the 2021 tasted alongside. I prefer this edition, as it’s still finessed but has more stage presence and inner harmony. The finish is long, blue-fruited and caressing. (BN)
This item is out of stock, would you like to save it and be notified when it's back?
Similar Products
Staff Reviews


Review Date: 12/2024
Email ScottNotes
This wine comes from the organically-tended Spring Ridge Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a two-acre planting on an east-facing slope at about 600 feet above sea level. The site is dry-farmed, which makes for an inredible earth-driven Pinot with all of the Santa Cruz character you want and the balance, texture and deliciousness you'd expect from a wine made by Bob and Jim Varner.
Product Details
Origin: Santa Cruz Mountains, California, United States
Type/Varietal: Pinot Noir
Alcohol Content: 12.7%
SKU: #1801370

