Windy Oaks: Refined Pinot Noirs from Corralitos in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Jim Schultze, the force behind Windy Oaks, had an international career that took him to Australia, England and Europe before he and his wife Judy returned to Corralitos at the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains to grow grapes and make wine, producing their first Pinot Noir wine in 1999. Their 15-acre estate vineyard, winery, and tasting room are located at 1000’ altitude overlooking Monterey Bay on a one lane road that weaves through the forest. It’s all very rural and remote, leading one to expect rustic wines made by a former home winemaker.  But that’s deceptive. We recently visited Jim and his winemaking son Spencer to tour the vineyards and taste the wines.  We left impressed by Jim, the site, and the wines.

Jim is a researcher/experimenter winemaker. All Pinot Noir wines are made using native yeast in small open top fermenters with up to 30% whole clusters.  Among the more interesting things he showed us is the machine he purchased and adapted to blast hot air on the vines to dry the fruit and kill mildew and other fungus.  He is not only well educated in wine and the world. he also regularly visits Burgundy to learn more about winemaking and to visit barrel makers to obtain long-aged, very tight grained oak.

Chardonnay Budding Out @drw

The Wines

Windy Oaks 2019 One Acre Estate Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains ($49) 93 Medium yellow gold.  Interesting notes of straw, peach skin and lemon curd on the nose. Bright acidity shows on a flavorful, layered, beautifully balanced palate of green mango and lemon citrus with rich phenolics. Clones 76 and 96 fermented first in stainless steel and then racked to barrel with native yeast and malo with battonage and matured 17 months in 20% new French oak.

Windy Oaks 2018 Le Chaud Estate Pinot Noir Special Release Santa Cruz Mountains ($85) 94   This wine is sourced from vines that have been blasted with hot air during the growing season to reduce the number of mildew sprays. This process increases the thickness and phenolics of the skins resulting in more assertive aromas and more layered, complex flavors.  The wine is rich and complex with a silky mouth feel. It’s not clear why other growers haven’t adopted this technology.

Windy Oaks 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée Santa Cruz Mountains ($45) 93 Light-medium red. This is a softly textured, perfumed, delicate Pinot Noir. Reveals very pretty red cherry, pomegranate and rose petal aromas and flavors with a delicate, ethereal mouth feel and a long finish.  Sourced from five different clones grown in the estate vineyard and fermented 35% whole cluster.

Windy Oaks 2019 Pinot Noir Estate Eleven Santa Cruz Mountains ($66) 94 Light and delicate, this wine is made by Spencer from the Calera and 943 clone.  It’s 25% whole cluster and matured 25 months in barrel followed by an additional 8 months in tank. Wild cherries and red berries show on the attack but there’s darker fruit on the velvet-textured palate.

Windy Oaks 2021 Pinot Noir Whole Cluster Santa Cruz Mountains ($64) 95 Medium ruby red. This wine is a barrel selection of 667, 828 and 115 clones. Opening with dark red berries and earth notes, it shows notable purity and a silky mouth feel with delicious red cherry, pomegranate and earth/underbrush flavors. Matured 22 months in French oak.

Windy Oaks 2021 Pinot Noir Wild Yeast Santa Cruz Mountains ($64) 94 Medium ruby fading to the rim. Lovely red berry fruit and underbrush on the nose of this barrel selection. Incisive red berry fruit and rose petals on the nose. Quite delicate with beautiful purity of cherry and pomegranate on the palate.  Fermented with native yeast and 35% whole cluster; matured in 55% new oak.