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Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard   www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com
  
                                                 334-A Ingalls St, Santa Cruz CA 95060
                                                    (831) 426.6209

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard (SCMV) lets Odonata use their tasting room, so we decided to make a quick stop. I was ready to kick back and relax at this point, but it was hard to resist tasting a few of SCMV's wines, since we were already there. I only tried a few that were of particular interest to me and didn't give scores.

SCMV is a longstanding winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains, founded in 1975. Jeff Emery is the proprietor and winemaker. He came to SCMV in 1979, working closely with Ken Burnap, the winery's founder. Jeff took over the winery in 2002. They launched a second label in 2008, Quinta Cruz, which produces wines solely from Spanish and Portuguese varietals.

  2006  Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard  Bailey's Branciforte Ridge Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains)  $29

100% Pinot Noir  
Overall: Fine Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. A lean style with smoke and spice.

 2008  Quinta Cruz  Pierce Ranch Tempranillo (San Antonio Valley)  $18

100% Tempranillo 
Overall: Candied cherry mocha fruit with some earthy clay to make it interesting.

 2006  Quinta Cruz  Rabelo Late Bottled Vintage Port (San Antonio Valley - Pierce Ranch)  $30 - 375mL

50% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Nacional, 25% Tinto Cão   fortified with Alambic brandy made from the same Tinta Roriz grapes
Overall: Really interesting stuff, with a complexity imparted by Alambic brandy that makes it unique. A must try for Port lovers.

Final Thoughts: All of these wines are made in small batches, typically about 200 cases or less. Not as exciting as the Odonata wines, but the Port was a standout.

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