I love good stories. If you can give me a little artistic leeway, let me veer off the usual path to describe this week’s selection.  I want to call it The New Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Once upon a time, before satellite imaging and artificial intelligence, there was a land of hills nestled away in the central coast area of California just south of Monterey Bay.  It is a magical place thanks to its proximity to the “Deep Blue Canyon,” a Grand Canyon-sized crevasse right off the coast.  The Santa Lucia Highlands are also unusual in that it is consistently cool for California, though morning fog is typically followed by warming afternoon sun.  In this enchanted region, a farmer planted some grape vines in 1972 to make wine, not the typical vines of the time from Bordeaux, but special vines of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  And those vines loved the moderate rain, low humidity, perfect exposure to the sun, gently sloping hillside, well-drained soils, decomposed granite, and frequent wind.  The vineyard became known as Sleepy Hollow, the gem of Santa Lucia Highlands, and has become one of the most celebrated vineyards in the region.  Soon, neighboring vineyards cast off their ways of growing Bordeaux Varietals and sought to be more like Sleepy Hollow and grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

There was a tailor, Robb Talbott, whose family specialized in silk ties. Due to frequent trips overseas to buy French silk, he yearned to make his own wines in the way of Burgundy. In 1982, he started to make wine from vineyards he planted around a cabin he built on a mountaintop in Carmel Valley that he called Diamond T, named after an antique “Diamond T” commercial truck Robb had restored. In making his wine, he used Sleepy Hollow grapes. He loved their grapes so much that in 1994, he acquired Sleepy Hollow entirely, becoming an estate-grown winery. The mystical winery became known as Talbott Sleepy Hollow. At first, Sleepy Hollow continued to sell grapes to well-known prestigious wineries, but demand for Talbott Sleepy Hollow wines became so much that Robb needed to keep all the grapes for his winery, making Talbott Vineyards one of the few estate-grown wineries in Santa Lucia Highlands, wine made entirely from vineyards owned by the winery. On a deeper level, it also meant that the Talbott Vineyards winemaking team could control the entire process to ensure the highest quality at every stage, from grape to bottle. It just validates the magic of the vines and how special they are. Sleepy Hollow was named one of California’s “Grand Cru Chardonnay Vineyards” by Wine Enthusiast in 2016 for its ability to produce consistently high-quality Chardonnay, year after year. Sleepy Hollow’s Pinot Noir receives similar accolades, including recent 90+ scores from wine writers worldwide. Talbott did more to spread the lore and allure of the Santa Lucia Highlands than any other, simply because of the size and uniqueness of this single vineyard and the excellent and consistent wines it produced.

In 2016, after 33 years of dedicating his life to his winery, Robb Talbott decided to move on and sell his beloved 565-acre vineyard and winery.  The buyer was the privately owned family operation that owns the most vineyards in California and the world.  E. J. Gallo Winery.  At the time, opinions in Santa Lucia Highlands were divided on whether Gallo represented a black knight or a white knight.  Gallo, at the time, owned 20,000 acres in the Central Coast region along with Bridlewood and Edna Valley Wineries.  Gallo has had a business relationship with Talbott for the past decade and has sourced grapes from the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the past, so they knew the value of the vineyards firsthand.  In the end, Gallo turned out to be the white knight that Talbot Vineyards needed with capital and expertise while not interfering with the successful operations of this independent winery.

Keeping it local, Gallo hired Monterey-born and bred legendary winemaker David Coventry, who gives the air of someone who likes to roll up his sleeves and get stuck into the role of daily winemaking, quite a contrast to some of the smart-suited ‘wine directors’ you might encounter at the top estates a little further north. Imagine how delighted he was when, on his first day on the job, he was told he could have all the resources needed for a major replant. As was customary in the days of large tractors, the original vineyard was installed on the traditional 9×12 spacing of the era, which netted you about 500 vines per acre. The new spacing is 6×9, which means they have roughly 1k plants per acre now. The plan is to replant about 40 acres per year and, at the same time, update the rootstock and old clones. Gallo has provided absolutely everything needed to guarantee that the replant is done to the highest standards possible, as befitting so valuable a piece of earth. Not long ago, Dave ran into Robb Talbott, who told him he was impressed with how the Talbott wines were evolving. That means a lot. Says Coventry, “It is absolutely an evolution. Talbott has a new story. What is old is new again. We are advancing the legacy, not just maintaining it. I truly believe that the Golden Age of Sleepy Hollow and Talbott is now.”

From the beginning, Dave gave Talbott Vineyards a 5-year commitment, which turned into 6 years before he moved on to consultant work for new wineries in Monterey. In 2022, he left the head winemaking responsibilities in the good hands of Kamee Knutson, a 20-year veteran in the wine industry, who had joined Gallo’s Central Coast Winemaking team in 2016. I talked to Kamee over a Zoom Call and asked her if Dave, who she has known and worked with for years, gave her any parting words of wisdom. His philosophy boils down to “Work hard and remember to have fun.” Kamee carries on the legacy of Sleepy Hollow wines while offering her perspective.

It seems the future of Talbott Sleepy Hollow is poised to continue its legend for many years to come. To that end, Talbott Vineyards employs a number of sustainable practices. A solar array provides 70% of the winery’s energy needs. Moisture probes and drip irrigation ensure that vines are watered only when necessary. All water used in the winery is treated and then returned to the vineyard as supplemental irrigation. Compost, cover crops, and biochar help to naturally improve the soil and act as a bio-fumigant to address the pest population. Finally, as part of the Gallo portfolio, Talbott Vineyards participates in the 50/50 Give Back program. For every vineyard planted, an acre of land is left undisturbed for wildlife habitat. All done in the original dogmas of Robb Talbott, who said, “I’ve come to appreciate the fact that we don’t own the land. We’re only caretakers, and we need to respect nature always.”

The 2018 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir is an elegant, luxurious expression of the world-class wine produced in Talbott’s Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. This flagship Pinot Noir offers a distinct earthiness, minerality and dark fruit intensity characteristic of Sleepy Hollow’s long growing season and terroir.  Aromas of sarsaparilla, nutmeg and clove mingle with notes of ripe black cherry, raspberry and vanilla bean to deliver a rich, mouth-filling texture.  Highly detailed red and black berry flavors, vibrant acidity and well-heeled tannins support the inherent minerality that yields a complex finish.

Aromas of ripe cherries, plums, button mushrooms and baking spices. It’s medium-to full-bodied, round and creamy with soft tannins and bright acidity.  Juicy, ripe and flavorful.  Tangy, zesty undertones.  James Suckling 93 pts

Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard features blackberry and dark cherry on the nose with accents of licorice, pipe tobacco, earth and citrus peel.  The medium-bodied palate is soft and grainy with concentrated, earthy fruits and a long, graphite-laced finish. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 93 pts

This elegant red is filled with fresh-crushed cherry and plum flavors that are backed by crunchy acidity.  Ends with notes of dried savory herbs on the svelte, minerally finish.  Wine Spectator 92 pts

Aromas of dried cherry, sagebrush, baked berry and loamy earth show on the nose of this bottling from the historic vineyard.  Dark berry and black plum flavors emerge on the sip, where licorice and nutmeg add layers to the bold wine.  Wine Enthusiast 90 pts

Talbot Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir 2018

It was easy to round up some Pinot Noir geeks to try the 2018 Talbott Sleep Hollow Pinot Noir. Talbott is a staple and go-to wine for Central Coast Pinot Noir. Soft aromas of a fruit bowl, raspberry, cherry, and spice. On the palate, more dark cherry hints of nutmeg spice, balanced by juicy acids and soft tannins. Full in the mouth with a long, dark cherry finish. Even the Burgundy geeks loved this wine, as did the rest of us. Not to overuse a word, but this wine is legendary and well worth its reputation.

Regular Price: $39.99

*Sale Price is on 6 or more bottles

Wine is packed in a 6-bottle case

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Robb Talbott’s Restored 1941 Diamond T Commercial Truck

Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and this creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet. Thank you in advance for your patience.

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Cheers!

—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

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