Our respect for Thomas Fogarty and his high-altitude projects in the Santa Cruz Mountains is immense; to our taste, he made the definitive American Gewürztraminer, and his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are simply the reference points for these varieties in California.
Less well-known is his Lexington project, created to make elegant, refined, Bordeaux-inspired wines at around 2,400 feet in elevation: the edge of the range in which these heat-loving varieties can ripen.
Sadly, Dr. Fogarty (also a renowned heart surgeon and the inventor of the Fogarty catheter) passed away in February, and the estate has found it necessary to liquidate their Lexington library reserves. We’ve chosen the 2016, as it’s at peak drinkability, featuring aromas and flavors of cedar, cassis and subtle spice. It would fit right into a tasting of mature Left Bank Bordeaux, and at this extremely gentle price, it also represents superb value. Organic.