There are two basic kinds of vineyard owners; those who purchased a property for the potential it offered as a vineyard site, and those who decided to plant grapes on a property they already owned. Ed Muns falls into the latter category. His property sits off Loma Prieta Way at a height of 2600 feet, overlooking Monterey Bay and - well, pretty much everything else. It had already been planted with vineyards by a previous owner, but these now derelict vines weren't the reason Ed was drawn to the place. As a world record holding amateur radio enthusiast* (call sign W0YK) the 2600' elevation would be ideal for DXing.

So having purchased the property, Ed eventually realised its potential for viticulture. Taking advice from local experts and classes at Davis, he planted a number of one-acre blocks with multiple types of rootstock grafted with clones of Pinot Noir. There is also some Syrah, which is yet to produce.

I was invited to join Ed and Mary for a picnic, tasting and Q&A session in the vineyard.

2008 Rose
This had a light, sweet strawberry nose and flavours of fresh cherry & strawberry. It had a fruity, crisp finish and nice tannins for a rose. Lovely summer wine. 87

2007 Rose
The light, floral nose showed some redcurrant fruit. I got fresh cherry, with a little earth and a nice tart finish. 86

2004 Pinot Noir
The first commercial vintage, made by Peter Bargetto of Soquel Vineyards.
Nice tart cherry & vanilla oak nose. Good bright cherry fruit, good acidity with a dry, tannic finish. Still improving. 88

2005 Soquel Muns Vineyard Pinot Noir
From 2005 Muns was produced by Tony Craig at Silver Mountain. However Soquel also purchased some fruit in 2005, so this serves as an interesting segue between the two.
Noticeably deeper colour. Nose of dark fruits and coffee. Palate had cherry and rose petals, with a rich, oaky, tannic finish. 90

2005 Pinot Noir
I tried this recently and found it disjointed with an oxidised note - that must have been an off bottle. This showed no sign of oxidation, however the fruit was still masked by a lot of acidity. Perhaps with the right pairing it will show well. 85

2006 Pinot Noir
Light nose showed some "pinot funk" and rose petals. Lots of rich fruit - particularly cherry and cranberry. Good and balanced with nice structure. 90

2007 Pinot Noir
Similar to, but richer than the 2006. If this is the house style emerging then I like it. Good cherry and strawberry flavours; nice oak, not too much. Good finish. Needs time to fully integrate. 91

* As the (former) holder of UK Class B amateur radio licence G1CWR and member of the Durham University Radio & Electronics Society I'd like to point out that we dislike the term "radio ham".

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At 2600 feet above sea level, Muns Vineyard is one of the highest in the country, and probably the highest Pinot Noir vineyard. The 77 acre property was a pine tree farm in the 1970s. During the 1980s a previous owner installed 13 acres of irrigation and trellising and planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However the project was abandoned before any wine was ever produced.

Ed Muns purchased the property in 1988; by then the few remaining vines were in very pooor shape and the vinyard was completely overgrown. In 1997 he began refurbishing the vineyard and repairing the old damaged trellising and irrigation. He planted three different kinds of rootstock and grafted them with four different Pinot clones. Most of the fruit is sold to Silver Mountain and Sonnet, with a small portion being used for Ed's own label.

The first commercial vintage was 2004, and was custom-crushed at Soquel vineyards. Since 2005 the wine has been made by Tony Craig at Silver Mountain.

The wines were poured at the Forbes History Museum in Los Gatos during the Vintners' festival to celebrate the launch of their exhibit on the historic Novitiate winery.

2007 "Jazz On The Plazz" Rose $16
The rose is available in two labels, but it's the same wine. This particular label is to support the Los Gatos Summer Jazz series and is only sold within Los Gatos.
Very nice nose of strawberries and rose petals follows on to the palate. A light, fresh summer wine.

2004 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
This saw 8 months of new French oak. Good nose of sharp cherry and vanilla. Good, deep cherry fruit followed by a dry, fairly short finish.

2005 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
The first vintage made by Tony Craig. The wine spends 18 months in 30% to 50% new Hungarian oak. Rather than being racked the lees is stirred periodically.
There's a slightly oxidised note to the nose; on the palate the acidity overwhelms the fruit. Might appear better with food, but alone it comes across as disjointed.

2006 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
A very nice nose showing lots of rose petal. Lighter than the 2005; fresh and fruity, well balanced and drinking nicely.

2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
As with the 2007 rose, the nose shows strawberries and rose petals. Abundant strawberry fruit, nice balance and a good finish. While it's nice now, it should continue to improve for the next few years.

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