2020 Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Monterey County

“Great big flavor, lovely lasting finish. Dang, I love Bernardus!” Wine Access members have long bestowed five-star raves like that because Bernardus wines ALWAYS deliver the goods—and this 2020 Monterey Pinot shows them at their very best. Crafted by Lafon and Leflaive alumnus Dean De Korth, it’s masterfully made, tastefully oaked, and brimming with irresistible raspberry, black cherry, and cola accents.

Bernardus’ founder, the late Ben Pon, set out to rival the best of Bordeaux, but he was wise when he entrusted winemaking duties to De Korth. The Monterey native trained at the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, then honed his winemaking skills with stints at legendary producers Leflaive, Lafon, and Morey. He returned home focused on replicating Burgundian quality and elegance on California’s coast. 

De Korth has proven that it doesn’t take a big-name vineyard to make a big-time impact. In 2020, he blended grapes from two locales in Arroyo Seco: Griva, a gravelly favorite of Morgan and other luminaries, and Mission Ranch, the first vineyard in the AVA, planted in 1961. Granite soils and Pacific influence collide in this glistening ruby wine, producing a fresh, fruity, distinctly Californian Pinot. De Korth raises this wine in a mix of older French barrels and 30-year-old French oak tanks so that there’s nothing to interfere with the brilliant, crystalline red fruit that flows through a sappy, satisfying finish.

Now more than 15 years into his tenure, De Korth has turned Bernardus into a California powerhouse, and not just because of connections that give him his pick of fruit from the area’s priciest grapes. Take it from us: Bernardus stands toe-to-toe with the best of California’s Central Coast.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.10%
• 30 mins
• Drink Up
• % Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 55°
• Stelvin