The wines from Luc and Jodie Morlet have gained a feverish following here at Hi-Time.While their Cabernets and Chardonnays have garnered the limelight and were featured on our “Top Wine” lists in the past, this year it is one of their Pinot Noirs that has us salivating!Coming from a small vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA on the Sonoma Coast, this property sits at 1,100 feet in elevation, and is on just the second ridge from the Pacific Ocean.The vineyard is above the fog line and enjoys long, sunny days, yet temps remain cool throughout most of the growing season.This gives the vines time to produce perfectly mature and ripe grapes, and Luc Morlet sorts the fruit berry-by-berry when they reach the winery, ensuring that only the best make it into the finished wine.
JEB DUNNUCK 98 POINTS – “Pouring a dark ruby/magenta color, the 2021 Pinot Noir En Familles has a luxurious and polished feel, with notes of fresh leather, plush wild berries, violets, and forest earth. It has a great, plush texture, with velvety tannins, evenly balanced acidity, and a weightless feel that’s harmonious and seamless throughout. It’s ripe but never heavy and has incredible length as well as a wonderfully earth-noted finish and tremendous aging potential. It promises a lot of hedonistic enjoyment. Drink 2026-2046.”
ANTONIO GALLONI 97 POINTS – “I tasted a wide range of wines with Luc Morlet this year. The 2021 Pinots, all from vineyards in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, are fine examples of this superb vintage. As always, the Pinots are done with fully destemmed fruit and see about 14 months in barrel.”
“The 2021 Pinot Noir En Famille is one of the best wines I have tasted from Luc Morlet. Rich and hedonistic, the 2021 possesses tremendous intensity and textural richness. The purity of the fruit is remarkable. Macerated dark cherry, spice, leather, tobacco, menthol and a kiss of French oak infuse the 2021 with tons of character.”
