Three Monterey Winemakers Offer Their Personal Take on a Single Vineyard Plot First Offering by Winemaker Don Van Staavern Wine Just Released
June 13, 2022 – Monterey, California – Steve McIntyre, well-respected viticulturist and winegrower is thrilled to announce the very first release of Pinot Noir from his new endeavor, the “Winemaker Series.” Sourcing from the McIntyre Vineyard, three top winemakers will showcase the exceptional quality of Santa Lucia Highlands’ terroir and McIntyre’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes with individual expressions of the 2019 and 2020 vintages. Moving forward, additional winemakers will be invited to participate, and the program will expand to include Chardonnay.
McIntyre invited renowned winemakers Don Van Staavern (Château St. Jean, Three Sticks), Sabrine Rodems (Wrath Wines, Scratch Wines), and Byron Kosuge (Saintsbury, McEvoy Ranch) to participate in the initial offerings. Each winemaker selected a specific block in the McIntyre Estate Vineyard, made their own harvest decisions and employed individual winemaking protocols. The results are three wines from the same vineyard with remarkable yet separate and distinct expressions. Each label includes a profile of the winemaker. McIntyre noted that he selected the three winemakers based on “admiration and personal relationships.”
Winemaker Don VanStaavern crafted the first wine, a 2019 Pinot Noir McIntyre Estate Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands. Rodems, Kosuge and VanStaavern all made wines from the 2020 vintage, which will soon be released. The Winemaker Series wines are sold on McIntyre Vineyards’ website, www.mcintyrevineyards.com and in California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, Connecticut and Tennessee.
“The genesis for this project was my belief that a little competition and collaboration goes a long way towards accelerating the pace of discovery in our vineyard,” says McIntyre. “Each winemaker brings their own style and experience to the process of producing spectacular wines.”
About McIntyre Wines
The McIntyre Estate Vineyard lies in the “sweet spot” of Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, a 12-mile stretch of benchland renowned for producing wines of character and complexity. Originally planted in 1973, the 80-acre site (60 acres planted) boasts some of the Highlands’ oldest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. The winery’s other estate property is the 81-acre Kimberly Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. Proprietor Steve McIntyre is one of the most knowledgeable viticulturists in California. As owner/operator of Monterey Pacific, he farms 16,000 acres in Monterey County. The McIntyre Estate Vineyard was among the first properties in the Santa Lucia Highlands to be SIP (Sustainability In Practice) Certified. www.mcintyrevineyards.com
