I’m teaming up with SIP Certified to focus on two of my favorite things – supporting local wineries and sustainability. (Original instagram post was sponsored by SIP Certified, I have taken the text and reformatted it for this medium.)
The two wines I have here, the 2019 SLH Chardonnay from McIntyre Vineyards and the 2019 Lucia Pinot Noir from Lucia Vineyards (a label by Pisoni Vineyards) combine both – they are from the nearby Santa Lucia Highlands and both certified sustainable.
SIP Certified provides a third-party verification that a vineyard, winery or wine has implemented sustainable practices across the 3 P’s of Sustainability – People, Planet, Prosperity.
Santa Lucia Highlands is an American Viticultural Area here in Monterey County. The appellation produces fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with over half of the acreage devoted to Pinot Noir. It’s also one of the appellations I visit most often, as it’s just thirty minutes from Monterey.
I brought these wines to the beach because Monterey Bay actually plays a big role in the climate of the Santa Lucia Highlands. One of the world’s largest submarine canyons is located offshore and Monterey Bay influences the appellation with fog and cooling maritime winds. If you’ve visited the area, I’m sure you’ve seen how windy it gets in the afternoon.
The 2019 SLH Chardonnay from McIntyre Family Wines is from their estate vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands.100% of McIntyre’s wine is SIP Certified and their vineyards too.
The owner, Steve McIntyre is an advocate for sustainable farming practices and is one of the founders of the Vineyard Team and SIP Certified program. With notes of apple, pear, lemon and a hint of pineapple, this Chardonnay also had a refreshing minerality and crisp acidity to it.
The 2019 Lucia Pinot Noir was my first time tasting this label from the Pisoni Family Vineyards. The Pinot is a blend from the Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes vineyards all in the Santa Lucia Highlands. With notes of ripe red fruit including strawberry and cherry, baking spice, a complex earthiness and great acidity – this Pinot Noir was a showstopper for me.
And since these wines are SIP Certified, I know these wines were sustainably produced.
