Talley Vineyards "Stone Corral Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2022
(Arroyo Grande, Central Coast, California) - [WE 95] [JD 94] [VM 94] [TWI 93] [JS 93] [WA 90+]

About the Winery:
Talley Vineyards is located in the San Luis Obispo Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) which is recognized as the coolest AVA in the state of California due to its direct proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean.  Within the San Luis Obispo Coast, there are two smaller AVAs, the Arroyo Grande Valley and the Edna Valley, and the winery owns vineyards and farms in both valleys.  The cool climate of the area, coupled with calcareous clay and shaly loam soils, makes it ideally suited to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Talley Vineyards’ specialties.

The story of Talley Vineyards began when Brian Talley's grandfather, Oliver Talley, began growing specialty vegetables in the Arroyo Grande Valley in 1948. In 1982, his son Don Talley, planted wine grapes on a rolling hillside parcel unsuitable for vegetable farming. Four years later, in 1986, he and his wife Rosemary founded Talley Vineyards.

About the Wine:
Once a rugged pasture where cattle grazed, Stone Corral Vineyard is now one of the most distinctive Pinot Noir sites on the San Luis Obispo Coast. This cooperative vineyard is a rare collaboration between three wineries—Talley, Stephen Ross, and Kynsi—each crafting its own expression from this singular site. Nestled in the heart of the Edna Valley, just four miles from the Pacific Ocean, Stone Corral benefits from the region’s long, cool growing season and sandy clay loam soils, producing Pinot Noir with deep color, plush texture, and remarkable complexity.

Tasting Notes:
Aromas of cranberry, rhubarb and mushroom lead to flavors of cherry, smoke, strawberry and fennel. The finish displays delicate red fruits and fine tannins.

Ratings & Reviews

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Detailed aromas of dark pomegranate, cranberry, carnation and hibiscus join scorched soil and light tea leaf on the nose of this wine. The palate is satisfyingly bold yet elegantly crafted, offering strawberry, cherry, bay leaf and lavender flavors, with a hint of game on the finish." - Matt Kettmann (Mar 2025)

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Lots of redcurrants, dried flowers, spice, and an almost Sta. Rita Hills-like salinity and marine character emerge from the 2022 Pinot Noir Stone Corral Vineyard, another beautifully balanced, elegant, complex, nuanced Pinot Noir from this estate. It's upfront, complex, and ready to go, yet should easily evolve for 10-12 years if well stored." (Aug 2024)

94 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Stone Corral Vineyard brings together individual elements that make some of the other wines in this range so appealing. Deceptively medium in body, the 2022 packs a pretty bold punch of tannin and acid, both critical for ensuring balance in this challenging year. Clean mineral notes extend the finish as hits of black cherry, sage, lavender and rosemary linger. A few months in bottle will only help. – Antonio Galloni (Aug 2024)

93 Points - The Wine Independent:
"The Stone Corral Vineyard has the sandiest soil type of all the vineyards Talley farms. This 2022 Pinot Noir Stone Corral was entirely destemmed. Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, graceful notes of warm cranberries, kirsch, and raspberry leaves gently waft from the glass, followed by hints of spearmint, Sichuan pepper, and dusty soil. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is so delicately played, featuring savory nuances intertwined with red berry flavors, finishing on a lingering earthy note." – LPB (Oct 2024)

93 Points - James Suckling:
"Supple, flavorful, rich in red fruit and meltingly delicious. While medium-bodied, it has a tempting viscosity backed by good acidity that highlights the red plums, raspberries and spearmint. Concentrated without being heavy, as one-third new French barrels bring spicy complexity. Sustainable. Drink or hold." (Aug 2024)

90+ Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Stone Corral opens with an elegant nose of subtle dried spices and pleasurable red fruit framed with accents of fresh herbs. The palate is silky and precise, leading to a finish that shows a bit of structural tenacity and baking-spice notes that could use integration over the next couple of years in bottle." – Matthew Luczy (Jul 2024)