CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS

BLACK KITE

I'm sure some people will be confused by the name Black Kite associated with a logo depicting a bird instead of some fabric-covered frame flown in the wind.

But there's a majestic bird called a Black Shouldered Kite and you might see it if you're in the wilds of Mendocino County.

The enterprise was founded by Donald and Maureen Green.  He's a telecom engineer and ornithologist who purchased a 40 acre parcel in Mendocino near the Navarro river.  Since buying the place, they're replanted some vines and extended the vineyard.  Now their two daughters and a grandson are involved in this family business.  They hired Jeff Gaffner as their winemaker.  Jeff has his own brand, Saxon Brown, as well as consulting for a number of wineries.

We found a particularly good, very charming Pinot Noir from Black Kite and it's got lovely fruit and a nice bit of oak.  The wine is from the 2006 vintage and is called "Kite's Rest."  Anderson Valley is the appellation and they matured this in aromatic French oak barrels...the perfume of dark cherries combines handsomely with a vanilla bean fragrance.  We expect this to last several more years, well-stored, but view it as something for rather immediate consumption.

Currently in stock:  2006 BLACK KITE "KITE'S REST" Anderson Valley PINOT NOIR  $41.99

 

 

 

CALERA  WINE COMPANY

Calera is the work of the flamboyant Josh Jensen and it specializes in Pinot Noirs, Chardonnay and Viognier.  The climate is rather warm in San Benito County, hotter than Burgundy, for example.  Jensen chose this site as the soil is similar to Burgundian soils.  They make a Central Coast bottling of Pinot Noir from purchased fruit and they offer several single, estate vineyards. 

We have found the wines to often display vegetal notes, rather than the ripe cherry or strawberry character of many Pinot Noir wines.   In any case, the wines reflect some of the flamboyant personality of proprietor Josh Jensen.  Whether or not they're to your taste, we cannot predict.  We have an idea of what they're trying to produce, but don't find the wines to be typical of Pinot Noir.

Calera's wine has achieved "cult status" in Japan.  It seems a Japanese "adult comic book" (called a 'manga') features a crime-fighting sommelier.   In one episode, the hero is given a couple of wines to taste and has concluded that it must be a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wine, only to remember at the last second that there is only one other wine of similar character and quality:  Calera's "Jensen Vineyard" Pinot Noir from California!  Propelled by this little boost, Calera sells thousands of cases of wine annually in Japan!   I even noticed a Japanese web site, while spelling the Calera name correctly in their editorial text, had the web page named "Carela."  I don't make up this stuff.

Currently available: 1997 Mills Pinot Noir (list $50) Sale $36.99
1997 Selleck Pinot Noir (list was $75) SALE $49.99
1997 Jensen (list was $75) Sold Out





CARGASACCHI

The Cargasacchi name is one to be found on numerous labels from artisan Pinot Noir producers in California.   Wine grower Peter Cargasacchi is one of the leading sources of Pinot Noir in the Santa Rita Hills district.  Winemakers regard him as a perfectionist and they are eager to be able to buy grapes from this fellow.

He makes wine under two labels...a modestly-priced brand is called Point Concepción and he has the premium-priced Cargasacchi label which, for me, requires a magnifying glass to be legible.  A wine glass also clarifies things nicely, too.

Probably some tasters will prefer wines made by other winemakers from Cargasacchi grapes than the grower's bottling.  Peter prefers to make wines with a bit more finesse and less power.  

His 2005 Pinot has lovely fruit...lots of ripe cherry notes with a hint of cranberry and raspberry.  Oak is restrained, so it's not prominent on the nose or palate.  The acidity in the wine is refreshing and will probably allow this to age handsomely for five to eight years, maybe more.  

 

Currently in stock:  2005 CARGASACCHI Pinot Noir $42.99

COHO WINES

A sales rep who understands that winemaking and wine sales are not "rocket science" started his own winemaking project a few years ago.

Gary Lipp and his winemaking pal Brooks Painter (University of Robert Mondavi associate fellow) produce some lovely red wines under the Coho label.  

Their Pinot Noir comes from the Stanly Ranch, a vineyard area planted back in the 1800s.  The Stanly vineyard was famous around 1880, but Prohibition retarded the viticultural development of the Carneros region.  I think Louis Martini found Pinot Noir at the old Stanly Ranch in the 1930s and in the 1940s Andre Tchelistcheff joined the party,  exploring the winegrowing possibilities in Carneros.  Martini actually bought the Stanly Ranch...today Beringer owns or leases much of it. 

Lipp lost his inventory in that nasty warehouse fire in Vallejo.  As a result, the 2004 vintage never hit the racks!

The 2005 is the current release.  Small production.  It's a very fine example of Carneros Pinot Noir.  You'll find nice cherry fruit and a touch of oak, but only a touch.  Perfect for grilled lamb or salmon!  It's delicious now and will be in fine shape for several more years.  

Currently in stock:  2005 COHO Carneros "Stanly Ranch" Pinot Noir $34.99



 

 

CHALONE VINEYARD

We have fond memories of the exceptional 1975 vintage of Pinot Noir from this storied vineyard in Monterey's mountainous Pinnacles area near Soledad.  Back in those days there wasn't electricity, water or a telephone at the winery.  Since then the vineyard has been extended and is a bit less than 200 acres.  The wines have been made in a traditional Burgundian fashion.  Sadly, they faltered in the mid to late 1980s to the point where the winery was selling its precious fruit! 
Today the winery is part of the giant Diageo drinks group.  What a difference from those early days.

The wines have been good, though perhaps not as spectacular as they seemed back in the early days.  The Estate Pinot Noir is a good wine, though and a nice expression of the Chalone vineyard.  Call it "terroir" if you like, the wine is different from other Monterey (and California) Pinots.

 

A new addition to the portfolio is a line of "Monterey County" wines which are not grown by Chalone.  There's ample fruit in Monterey to allow Chalone to produce a good, rather value-priced bottling of Pinot Noir.  (We find this lower-tier wine to be the best of their "Monterey County" offerings.)
The 2005 is a recent release and the Diageo folks claim it's already in short supply.  The wine is about the weight of a good cru Beaujolais and has nice Pinot aromas and flavors.  Serving it cool is ideal.  It's best consumed in its youth.

Currently in stock: 2002 Chalone Estate Pinot Noir Sold Out
2005 CHALONE "Monterey" (non-estate) Pinot Noir (list $16) SALE $12.99

DAVID BRUCE WINERY

This small Santa Cruz Mountains winery was established in the mid-1960s by Dr. David Bruce, a former dermatologist.  I have not asked his position regarding "skin contact."  He offered wines which were certainly unusual....we remember Black Muscat, Grenache, high alcohol Zinfandels and other assorted curious bottlings.  We can't pinpoint the change precisely, but a decade, or so, ago this winery started turning out well-made wines as a matter of course.  Before that, they often had the most curious bottlings of really amazingly curious wines.  Maybe hiring a winemaker was a good idea!

Today they offer a range of Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and a Petite Syrah.  They've even been offering a Chalone Vineyard bottling of Pinot Noir, made from vineyards from which the cuttings came from David Bruce's Santa Cruz estate vines.

 

The wines are perfectly okay and each seems to be "fortified" with something other than Pinot Noir.  We suspect the wines are blended with something such as Petite Sirah, given their color and impact on the palate.

We currently have a 2005 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in stock.  This is a nice, medium-bodied Pinot with hints of cherries and cranberries.  There's a touch of wood, but more brown spice notes than overt oak.  It's smooth enough to drink now and should remain in good condition for several years.

Currently available: 2005 DAVID BRUCE Sonoma Coast PINOT NOIR $29.99

The tasting room at the David Bruce Winery...

DEHLINGER

We first met Tom Dehlinger in the mid-1970s at his little winery in Sebastopol.  His father, a dentist (I think), had helped him get established.  

The vineyard consisted of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.  I can't recall if the Zinfandels Tom made were home-grown or made from purchased fruit.

Dehlinger always made good wines.  Friends in Italy were incensed when they learned Cabernet Sauvignon was no longer the focus at Dehlinger.  Tom, I suspect, was a fan of the wines of his legendary neighbor, an old codger named Joe Swan.  

Over the years, the Dehlinger wines slowly caught on.  But Tom is such a low key fellow, he never was one for the "show business" of the wine industry.  I know he preferred hanging out at home to attending "Meet The Geek" events.  As a result, it took a long time to become an "overnight success."  

Today the wines are sold, predominantly, to those on his mailing list.  We're fortunate to have a few bottles of Dehlinger Pinot and we remain fans of the wines.

I have found Dehlinger's Pinots to actually have a solid "center" and be capable of aging handsomely.  The wines are not made with the palates of various wine writers in mind and I don't think Dehlinger is bothered by the critics.  

In mid-2007 I brought a 12 year old bottle of Dehlinger Pinot to dinner with a friend who makes good wines in Alsace.  This winemaker is a fan of Pinot Noir and I think he was surprised (shocked, more likely) to find the wine still needed a bit of time to soften and blossom.  

Anyway, we like the Pinots from this estate.  They're really good examples of Russian River Valley fruit and they are made without the idea of providing instant gratification.  Chardonnay, by the way, is also made with great care here...

Currently in stock:  2004 DEHLINGER Russian River Valley PINOT NOIR $49.99

 

DREW

This kid went to school in Santa Cruz to study Agricultural Ecology and somehow wound up in a vineyard.

Jason Drew's life path is interesting, taking him from an internship at St. Supery in Napa to the Carmenet winery in Sonoma to Navarro in Mendocino to South Australia.  When he returned to California, he spent time at the Joseph Phelps winery, Luna and then with winemaker Cathy Corison before venturing south to Santa Barbara.  There he became the assistant winemaker with Babcock Vineyards and Winery before launching his own label with Mrs. Drew and his brother Mark.

One of the attractions to the Drew Pinot Noir is that, different from the many Syrah-like Pinots being produced by many vintners, Jason's actually smells and tastes like Pinot Noir.  You may think this is only normal, since Pinot Noir ought to exhibit aromas and flavors of Pinot Noir, but with many winemakers courting the praise of various wine writers, many California Pinots now have deep, dark color, Syrah-like flavors and Cabernet-like tannins.  And these Pinots-On-Steroids are just what the wine-writing crowd is looking for!    

Given that Drew's protégés in California's Central Coast are so enthralled with making these sorts of wines (one Pinot Noir fancier told me "If I wanted cough medicine, why don't I just buy a bottle of vintage-dated Robitussin?"), it's remarkable that this fellow produces a wine of this style.

We have a 2006 Drew Pinot Noir from the Cargasacchi Vineyard.  Drew has a special block of vines on a piece of land just outside the Santa Rita Hills appellation.  It's a medium-weight Pinot  with nice tart cherry and pomegranate-like notes.   We like the finesse and zesty 'feel' of the wine.  It's delightful now and should improve and blossom further with a bit of bottle aging.

Currently in stock:   2006 DREW "Cargasacchi-Jalama Vineyard/Potbelly Block" PINOT NOIR $34.99

 

 

DUCKHORN'S "GOLDENEYE"

Our friends Paul and Sandy Obester started this estate in Mendocino's Anderson Valley, having decided to invest in vineyard property.  They had their original winery, of course, on Highway 92 along the road to Half Moon Bay.

The Anderson Valley is a cool climate region and Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer seem to be ideal for this location.  One of the Obester's two sons was wine-interested and graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in enology.  But he soon realized winemaking is "work" and this soured him for assuming the reigns of one of their two cellars.

Eventually they sold the property to the Duckhorns, Merlot specialists from St. Helena.  Dan Duckhorn realized the Anderson Valley provides a potentially wonderful microclimate for Pinot Noir.  The original site is called "Confluence" and they've added several other small vineyards to the roster.  

The production remains relatively small and we're fortunate to see a few bottles of "Goldeneye" Pinot Noir each vintage.  

The 2004 has just been released.  The vintage saw a warm growing season so the harvest began a bit earlier than normal in the Anderson Valley. When there was a heat spike in mid-September, things got further accelerated.  The resulting wine shows ripe berry notes and hints of the forest-floor tones we've come to expect in the Goldeneye wine.

Another label has been made here, too.  It's a selection called "Migration," a lighter, less complex and less costly bottling of Pinot Noir.  The wine incorporates estate grown Pinot with wine made from purchased fruit, too.  The 2005 is a recent release.  You'll find this to be a scaled down version of Goldeneye in terms of its complexity.  Nice strawberryish tones and a hint of sweet wood. 

Currently in stock: 2004 Goldeneye Pinot Noir $99.99 in magnum
2005 Migration Pinot Noir  $31.99
Walk-in customers only...no shipped orders for these as our allocation is small.

 

 

 

ETUDE WINES

The Etude label was started by winemaker Tony Soter after he left his full-time gig at Chappellet in 1981 and began his consulting business.

Soter, who had been associated Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stonegate and Spring Mountain, took over for Joe Cafaro as winemaker at Chappellet and then launched his little Etude project in 1982.  He remains a famous consulting winemaker, having had his fingerprints on wines such as Araujo, Spottswoode, Dalla Valle, Viader and Niebaum Coppola.  The Etude wines, predominantly Pinot Noir, have long been popular and somewhat of a benchmark for Napa Pinot.  Of course, this is rather ironic, since most of Soter's winemaking experiences have been with Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties.  Yet he really has had a marvelous 'touch' with Pinot Noir, routinely make good wine.  

Having grown tired of all the demands of the consulting business and financing his own place, Soter sold the Etude brand to the Beringer Blass folks.  He's still quite involved and rather happy to have more time to pay attention to wine quality in the vineyards.  He has access to Pinot Noir from a Carneros property owned by Beringer called "Benoist" which comprises something like 600 acres.  

Though production numbers have escalated, Soter's access to top quality Pinot Noir grapes has increased at an even greater rate. 

The 2005 is the current release.  It's a medium-bodied Pinot, a bit more "plump" than many from Carneros.  You'll find dark cherry notes and maybe a hint of a plummy note along with some sweet oak and brown spice tones.  It's lovely now and we suspect it will blossom nicely over the next few years.  Charming.

Currently in stock:  2005 Etude Carneros Pinot Noir SALE $39.99

 

FLOWERS

Joan and Walt Flowers started this place, buying an amazing piece of Sonoma Coast property as a retreat from their east coast nursery business.

The couple had been kept busy with their Pennsylvania-based enterprise, but they had a hankerin' to see about growing grapes.  After searching, they bought a chunk of land near Cazadero. 

They've planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in rather rugged terrain.  One feature of their vineyards is they're above the fog line.  The sun shines for much of the day, but temperatures tend to be cooler than neighboring vineyards that are less than a mile farther inland!   As a result, Flowers' wines tend to be the product of grapes which have had a lot of "hang time."

We have a couple of Pinot Noir wines and an interesting Pinot Noir-based blend.

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a blend of several vineyards.  About 10% comes from their "Camp Meeting Ridge" property and another 25% is from estate-grown grapes.  The rest comes from leased vineyards and purchased fruit.  The wine matured exclusively in French oak, about one-third of the cooperage being new barrels.  This is a supple, yet nicely structured wine.  It's got nice acidity, so I suspect it will cellar well if you don't drink it tonight.

Their 2003 Cuvée Andreen-Gale is a sort of reserve designated Pinot Noir.  It's named after the mothers of Walt and Joan.  This vintage is a five vineyard blend.  Forty percent new French oak.  Nice wine...a shade deeper than the regular bottling of 2004.

Also in the line-up is a proprietary red called Perennial.   This also has some Pinot Meunier, Syrah and a drop of Chardonnay.  It's still fairly expressive Pinot Noir.  

Currently in stock:  2006 FLOWERS Sonoma Coast PINOT NOIR  Sale $42.99
2004 FLOWERS "Cuvee Andreen-Gale" PINOT NOIR SALE $49.99
2005 FLOWERS "Perennial"  SALE $32.99

 

FOXEN

Santa Barbara native Dick Doré can trace his family tree back to his great great grandfather William Benjamin Foxen who set sail for the new world in the early 1800's.  Foxen actually had about 9000 acres, having purchased the Rancho Tinaquaic in 1837.  Being that old Bill-Ben was a sailor, the Foxen logo is an anchor.

Doré had been working in banking, though he was interested in wines and vines in the 1970s.  He spent a year, or so, meandering around Europe, exploring the wine roads of Italy, Spain and France before returning to Santa Barbara.  He crossed paths with viticulturist Bill Wathen while involved with the pioneering "Tepusquet Vineyard"  (which is today owned by the Cambria winery).  The pair embarked on their own winery project in the mid-1980s and we periodically find a wine which strikes our fancy.

The 2005 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir is one which stood out in a recent tasting.  It comes from a block of the Bien Nacido vineyard which is planted with 3 clones of Pinot Noir, Pommard being the primary cultivar.  This was matured for about 10 months in French oak and the wood adds a nice sweet note to the cherryish fruit.  It's smooth enough to drink now and ought to remain in good condition for another few years.  

 

Currently in stock:  2005 FOXEN Santa Maria Valley PINOT NOIR Sold Out  
New vintage is/was available, but we were obliged to buy other Foxen wines to be allowed to have the Pinot Noir in the shop.  We passed.




GARY FARRELL

Gary Farrell was a political science back in the 1970s at Sonoma State University.  With the Russian River Valley in the vicinity, Farrell got sidetracked thanks to fellows such as Tom Dehlinger, Davis Bynum and Robert Stemmler.  After a number of years of being a cellar rat, Gary took an official job as winemaker for the Davis Bynum winery.  In the ensuing years, he also launched his own label, trading winemaking work for grapes.

His Pinot Noirs were much sought-after and the wines were of good quality.  He made Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Chardonnay, but Pinot was the highlight of the range of Gary Farrell wines.

In the early 2000s, Farrell sold his name and winery to the Allied Domecq company.  Quality remained good, though.  The Allied-Domecq firm morphed into Fortune Brands.  The winery was under the roof of "Beam Wine Estates" (as in Jim Beam).  They recently sold off a number of their wineries, including Gary Farrell, to Constellation (the humungous firm that purchased Robert Mondavi's little winery a while ago).

The 2005 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir comes from several vineyards including Starr-Ridge and Rochioli-Allen.  It's a nicely drinkable, medium-bodied Pinot.   It doesn't really need any further cellaring and we suspect it's probably at its best now and over the next year, or so.  It has the typical strawberry and cherry notes of Russian River Pinot Noir.  There's a light touch of wood to the wine.  

 

Currently in stock:  2005 GARY FARRELL Russian River Valley PINOT NOIR  Sale $38.99 (750ml)  Sale $99.99 (magnum)




WALTER HANSEL

The Hansel name if well-known to Sonoma County residents, as the family owns a car dealership.  Walter Hansel invested some of his profits in vineyard land and his son Stephen was seriously bitten by the wine 'bug."

Vineyards are near Sebastopol.  The first wines were made in 1996 and these were truly "garage" wines.  We found early vintages to demonstrate Hansel had good vineyards, but the winemaking was a bit too "natural" and the wines had too much sediment early on.  

Over the past few years, there's been a good learning curve and the wines today are usually pretty damned good.  

They tend to displays lots of red fruit notes.  I find hints of pomegranate and red cherry to the wines.  They're easy to identify as Pinot Noir and show Russian River or Sonoma County terroir as well.

We currently have a delicious 2005 "Cahill Lane" bottling.  It's teeming with cherry fruit notes and an undertone of vanilla from the oak.  The fruit dominates, however.  We suspect this is best in its youth...

Currently in stock:  2005 WALTER HANSEL Russian River Valley "Cahill Lane" PINOT NOIR  $35.99

 

HIRSCH VINEYARDS

The Hirsch name has been seen for a number of years on some exceptional Sonoma Coast-designated Pinot Noirs.  The vineyard was first planted by David Hirsch in the early 1980s and fruit has been sold to the likes of Siduri, Williams-Selyem, Harrington  and Littorai.  Hirsch, like many growers, has been encouraged by the success of his grape-buying customers and so he had some wine made at a custom crush facility in Geyserville, before finally completing his own winery on the estate.

Hirsch is spearheading a move to create a new viticultural area, to be called "Fort Ross-Seaview," a Sonoma Coast sub-appellation that currently has about 500 acres of vineyards planted there.   Probably the first vineyard in recent history to be planted there was by Michael Bohan in the 1970s.  

The region is noted for its sunny climate.  The fog rarely climbs more than 900 feet and Hirsch's vines are at high elevations, yet the area sees warmer temperatures as a result of the extended sunlight bathing the vines.  (Many lower elevation vineyards in the Sonoma Coast/Russian River appellations are shrouded in early morning fog which takes some hours to burn off.)

An "entry level" bottling is called Bohan-Dillon. The 2006 Pinot Noir was rather impressive.  The name Bohan-Dillion is that of the road where Hirsch's winery is located.  The wine is comprised of three clones of Pinot Noir, mostly one dubbed #777.  Mount Eden and Pommard are the other two clones present in this wine.  We liked the bright cherry fruit and hint of spice on the nose.  It's light and fruity, so if you prefer "blockbuster" Pinots which have the color of Syrah and the tannin level of young Cabernet, you'll be disappointed in this wine.  If you're a Pinot Noir fan, you'll find it enjoyable.

The "heavy hitter" bottling from Hirsch is a delicious Pinot Noir.  The winery claims it to be a vin de garde (a wine for cellaring), but I wouldn't bet on it.  I think the wine is probably going to be at its hedonistic, gobs-of-fruit best in its early years.  Maybe someone will open this wine for me in ten years and prove me wrong, but this is so showy now, waiting an extended number of years seems unnecessary to me!  I found lots of dark cherries and a whiff, or two, of mocha and vanillin oak.  This is one of those typically Californian wines that comes over and introduces itself to you and maybe even shakes your hand once you've opened the bottle.  Production is tiny.  Pricing is high.

A new Pinot Noir struck our fancy and it's labeled as Hirsch Vineyards "M."
They call it "M" as in "middle," since it's priced in the middle of their Bohan Dillon bottling and the heavy-hitter, estate wine.
We found the 2006 "M" to be more similar in quality to the $60 bottling.  Lots of ripe cherry notes here along with a bit of sweet, vanillin oak.    It's dangerously drinkable now, as well, so cellaring the wine is not required.

 

Currently in stock:  2006 Bohan-Dillon "Sonoma Coast" Pinot Noir  $29.99
2006 Hirsch Vineyard "Sonoma Coast" Pinot Noir $49.99

HITCHING POST

The Hitching Post is a famous steak place in the Central Coast.  The Ostini family actually has two restaurants, one near Santa Maria and the other near Buellton.

If you're visiting Santa Barbara wine country, you ought to be sure to have dinner at the Buellton place.  

Ostini and partner Gray Hartley have been making good Pinot Noirs for quite a number of years.  Frank used to have the wine made at the Qupe/Au Bon Climat facility, but has moved operations to Central Coast Wine Services in Santa Maria where he's got a bit more autonomy to do what needs doing when it needs doing.  This has helped improve wine quality.

They make a number of vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs and these are usually pretty nice.  They are not the Syrah-like, tannic monsters so many people seem to make in the Central Coast.

The 2004 Santa Barbara County "Highliner" bottling is currently in stock.  Lovely wine.  Typically berryish, woodsy Pinot Noir which is drinkable right now...it's a selection of best barrels.  Very fine.

The Santa Maria Valley bottling is also quite nice...a shade lighter, but still good Pinot Noir.  

The restaurant, by the way, gets a nice bit of notoriety in the new film called "Sideways."  It features a couple of guys spending some days in wine country before one of them gets married.  Along the way they meet a couple of Santa Barbara women, one of whom is a waitress at...The Hitching Post!  Her character, Maya,  is played by actress Virginia Madsen.

 

 

That's Ms. Madsen with her hand on the derriere of chef/winemaker/bon vivant Frank Ostini.  

Currently in stock:  2004 Hitching Post Santa Barbara "Highliner" Pinot Noir $43.99 (limited)
2004 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir $33.99 (limited)
2004 "Sanford & Benedict Vineyard" Pinot Noir $39.99 (limited)
2005 "Corkdancer" Pinot Noir $29.99

LORING WINE COMPANY

This little enterprise grew out of a fellow's appreciation for various Pinot Noirs from Burgundy and California.  Brian Loring was working in a Southern California wine shop and was exposed to the Pinot Noir "bug" thanks to some bosses who were Burgundy fans.

Loring eventually was invited to spend a harvest season (in 1997) by a winery owner who was probably fatigued from answering so many questions about winemaking.  After an "apprenticeship" at the Cottonwood Canyon winery in the Santa Maria Valley.  Once he was up to his elbows in red wine 'stains,' Loring reached the stage of "incurable."

I've tasted his wines from time to time and felt he was trying to to the same sort of thing as Adam and Dianna Lee at Siduri.  For my tastes, I felt the Siduri wines, frankly, were better.  

So I'm happy to report we tasted a really good Pinot Noir from Loring and it's from a vineyard in Sonoma's Green Valley.  Graham Vineyard.  Loads of sweet cherry pie fragrances.  Plenty of fruit and you won't mistake it for a Cabernet or Syrah.  The wine is fairly silky on the palate and probably will be at its best over the next couple of years.  

Currently in stock:  LORING 2006 Green Valley "Graham Vineyard" PINOT NOIR  $49.99

THE OJAI VINEYARD

Adam Tolmach used to be in partnership with "The Mind Behind" at Au Bon Climat.  Adam sold his share of the winery to Jim Clendenen and now concentrates on his own winery in the Ventura County town of Oakview near Ojai.  His wines have been in the realm of "very good" to "excellent" and we've featured Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Pinot Noir since the winery's inception. 

Adam is a real fanatic when it comes to making wines.  He pays attention to the quality of the fruit people are attempting to grow,  working diligently to create the world's best wines.  Since he's been making wine for so long, I suppose he's a graybeard alongside the furry-faced "kids" who seem to catch the attention of wine geeks.  People, of course, want to be amongst the first to "discover" new wines.  I can tell you we've tasted a lot of these "new" producers who may be enthusiastic in making and marketing their wines, but whose products are not quite to the level of quality needed to compete in this fierce market.

Anyway, we currently have a Pinot Noir which is a big, deep, fairly dark Pinot Noir.  The fruit comes from the Clos Pepe vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation.  This, I think, is Adam's fifth vintage with this vineyard and the wine is impressive (the previous vintages have also been remarkable).  You might find this version pretty intense for Pinot Noir.  It's got the ferocity of a good Cabernet and maybe then some!  It is a wine which is still young and probably will do well with additional bottle aging...maybe 5-10 years+.

Currently available:  
2004 Santa Rita Hills "Clos Pepe" Pinot Noir $49.99

     

L'ANGEVIN

This label we know more for its wonderful Chardonnays than for red wine, but they've made a small lot of Pinot Noir.

The fruit comes from the Hyde family's "Stage Vineyard" which is at the southern part of the Sonoma Coast appellation.  The fruit is carefully sorted and winemaker Robbie Meyer cold soaks the Pinot Noir a few days before the fermentation starts.  They're careful in punching down the cap, not wanting to extract harsh tannins or bitter components.  

The wine displays a lovely berry note...raspberry.  There's a hint of underbrush or forest floor tones as well.  You might also find a floral element on the nose here.  It's a lovely Pinot, being a bit too subtle, we expect, for many people, especially those who prefer Cabernet Sauvignon.

A Russian River Valley bottling is very nice, too.  It's a bit more delicate than the Sonoma Coast bottling, but still captures the character of Pinot Noir.  The fruit is rather cherryish with a touch of orange peel to the nose and flavor.  

 

Currently in stock:  2005 L'ANGEVIN Russian River Valley PINOT NOIR $43.99
2005 L'ANGEVIN Sonoma Coast PINOT NOIR $57.99

 

MARK WEST

Back in the 1970s we had wines from the Mark West Winery.  A fellow who was an airline pilot and his winemaking wife ran the place and made some good Pinot Noirs and Gewürztraminers.   Flying a plane, though, was an easier task than selling wine and the couple eventually sold the place.  

Today the label is owned by Derek Benham and his "Purple Wine Company."  We have noticed an improvement in the quality of the wines of this winery and their 2006 Pinot Noir is one of the few Pinot Noirs at the low end of the price spectrum that's worth buying.

The idea of the Mark West Pinot Noir is to have a wine that's identifiable as Pinot and to offer it at a price that's affordable.  While many vintners have told us the "sweet spot" for Pinot Noir sales is $40 a bottle, we're delighted to have some wines for less than $20 a bottle.  For us, that's a "sweet spot."

Winemaker Alex Cose (he spent part of a decade working at the Peter Michael Winery, a producer whose idea of "budget priced" is a Cabernet for $150 a bottle) seems to have a nice touch with Pinot Noir.  For casual, warm-weather wine drinking, this is a bargain.

We included an earlier vintage of this wine in a Fall-2006 blind-tasting of Pinot Noirs.  It was the least costly wine in the tasting and finished second out of the set of 8 wines, ahead of more famous French Burgundies and California Pinots.  

The 2006 is a terrific follow-up to the 2005.  If you liked one, you'll probably like the other.  The wine displays a lovely strawberry fragrance of Pinot Noir and it's smooth and easily drinkable.  No, you won't mistake this for a bottle of Romanée-Conti, but then you didn't pay a thousand dollars for it, either.

Currently in stock:  2006 MARK WEST Pinot Noir (List $14) SALE $9.99

 

MOUNT EDEN VINEYARD

Mount Eden Vineyard remains a gem of an estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.  It's situated about 2000 feet above sea level within the zip code of Saratoga.

While so many people have the idea that California's wine history centers on the Napa Valley, in fact, there are many fascinating stories from other regions.  The Santa Cruz Mountains has a colorful history and names such as Paul Masson, Charles LeFranc and Martin Ray are early pioneers in this area.

Martin Ray was a real character.  He had been a stock-broker before turning to real estate.  As a budding wine geek, he purchased a winery from the  Paul Masson, a fellow of Burgundian heritage.  Masson had imported vine cuttings from his old buddy, Louis Latour in Burgundy.  Ray eventually sold the Paul Masson winery and brand to the whiskey company, the House of Seagram back in 1942.

Ray, though, had other extensive vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, cultivating about a hundred acres.  He enlisted the help of investors and, apparently, this was his undoing.  I gather he was not an especially easy-going character and he felt his were the only wines in California worth premium prices.  He apparently charged serious money for his wines and many were, in fact, highly regarded by experts back in the day.

Ray's conglomerate fell apart in the late 1960s and early 1970s and in 1972 "Mount Eden Vineyards" was born, splintering from the Martin Ray Winery.  Ray's step-son, Peter Martin Ray, made wine for a while, but eventually the brand was sold to Courtney Benham and the wines made using the Martin Ray label today are a far cry from those old time wines.

Mount Eden's winemaker was a young lady named Merry Edwards.  She made superb wines in tiny quantities starting with the 1972 vintage.  We purchased her wines back in those days and the quality was very fine.  Merry worked there until shortly before the 1978 vintage when she went to work at Matanzas Creek in Sonoma.  A fellow named Bill Anderson took over and in 1981, Jeffrey Patterson assumed the reins.

Patterson continues to make some exceptional wines at Mount Eden (not to be confused with Napa's "Villa Mt. Eden" winery).  

He cultivates about seven acres of Pinot Noir and the yield of these vines is quite low.  I believe they produce a mere one ton to a ton-and-a-half per acre.  Patterson does minimal cellar treatment on the wine, trying to guide as much character of Pinot Noir and terroir into the bottle as possible.  

The wines tend to age quite nicely, having higher acidity than most California Pinots.  The current vintage is that of 2004 and it's a very fine example of Mount Eden Pinot.  You'll find the style of these to be more similar to elegant, refined Burgundy (think of Volnay in some vintages to Gevrey-Chambertin in others) than to the blockbuster wines so fashionable in California these days.

The 2004 features hints of cherry and strawberry, with a forest-floor element in the mix.  It's medium-bodied and mildly tannic.  A nice big wine glass is demanded by such a regal wine.  

Currently in stock:  2004 MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS Santa Cruz Mountains PINOT NOIR Sold Out

 

NAUGHTY BOY

The Naughty Boy label is from MJ & Jim Scott, a couple of old hippies who escaped The City for the sunnier climes of Mendocino's Potter Valley.

Here we've been selling this nice little "bad boy" for more than a year now and, despite the funny name for the wine, it's become one of our most popular Pinot Noirs.  Good fruit, organically-farmed, by the way, and a sensible price are proving to be a winning combination.

 

The wine comes from the Scott's 6 acre vineyard in the Potter Valley, northeast of Ukiah.  The valley floor is at an elevation of roughly 1000 feet.  Temperatures can be rather warm during the day, with a major drop in the thermometer at night.  This is ideal for Pinot Noir.

Naughty Boy Pinot is vinified under the watchful eye of winemaker Greg Graziano.  A mere 380-something cases were produced.  The wine comes from low-yielding vineyards, but it's a far cry from the Syrah-like Pinots which are fashionable amongst the Cabernet-drinkers set.  You'll find a hint of underbrush and forest floor, along with notes of cherry and a bare whiff of wood in this wine.  It's got remarkably nice acidity and is a a wine which really blossoms in the company of good food.  Think of pairing this with lamb, duck or well-seasoned grilled salmon.  

 

We like this served at cool cellar temp.  It may age nicely, but we suspect most bottles are taken home and opened immediately rather than stashed in a wine rack to become dusty and old.

 

Currently in stock:  2005 NAUGHTY BOY Potter Valley PINOT NOIR $22.99

 

PAHLMEYER

You won't find the word "subtle" associated much with the name Pahlmeyer when discussing wines.  
Jayson Pahlmeyer has made a name for himself with huge, intense Chardonnays, Merlot and a Cabernet blend.  These are routinely big, massive wines with a fair bit of oak and little in the way of nuance.

Some years ago Pahlmeyer purchased a modest-sized property on the Sonoma Coast called "Wayfarer Farm."  I've read this farm had been supplying some Bay Area restaurants with organically-cultivated produce.  

Pahlmeyer's winemaker, Erin Green, has experience at the Williams Selyem winery and she, we're told, selected a bunch of clones of Pinot Noir to plant at this special site.  The vines are densely planted, too.  

The first release is the 2005 vintage and it's typically "Pahlmeyer."  You'll find a powerful, potent and robust red.  The fragrances are more reminiscent of cola and brown spices than the typical cherry fruit of Pinot Noir.  It's nearly 15% alcohol, so fastening your seatbelt at the dinner table is a good idea.  

Mr. Pahlmeyer has been quoted in various articles as likening the vineyard to that of La Tâche in Burgundy.  I'm not sure fans of French wines would mistake his wine for that of a grand cru Burgundy, but consumers who tend to prefer Cabernets might find this to be a Pinot Noir of interest.  

Currently in stock:  2005 PAHLMEYER Sonoma Coast PINOT NOIR (list $90) SALE $81.99

             

PAPAPIETRO PERRY

Here's a new winery started by a couple of home winemakers who made wines in their garages in San Francisco, as well as "volunteering" (this is a polite term for "cellar slaves") during the harvest at a little winery called Williams-Selyem in Sonoma.  

Both Ben Papapietro and Bruce Perry worked as slaves anyway, working for the San Francisco Newspaper Agency (SF Chronicle).  That's where they met winemaker Burt Williams, whom was a pressman for the newspaper.  "He's a real pioneer." proclaimed Ben Papapietro of the now-retired Williams.

Ben Papapietro told us they want to remain rather small in the quantity of production so they don't lose the quality.  "We've seen some producers get too big and that's when it's difficult to maintain the quality of the wines."

Currently in stock is a Pinot Noir from a lovely vineyard in the area of Windsor.  It's a Sonoma Coast appellation wine from the Peters vineyard.  Papapietro attributes the complexity of the wine to the varied clones of Pinot in this vineyard and that they're planted on a variety of rootstocks.

Papapietro matures the wine for nearly a year in barrels from the famous François Frères cooperage.  Half the barrels are brand new, the other half one or two year old wood.  This contributes the wonderfully sweet, vanillin note to the cherry-like Pinot fruit.  Minimal cellar treatment is employed, so the wine is not fined and not filtered.  

It's a delight right now, in its youth.  Limited production.  

Currently in stock:  2005 PAPAPIETRO PERRY "Peters Vineyard" PINOT NOIR $52.99

 

ROESSLER

Roger Roessler had been in the restaurant business for most of his adult life before embarking on his winery venture/adventure.
Being a friend of the Sangiacomo family, big vineyard owners and grape growers, Roessler soon found himself in need of a winemaker as he had close to three tons of Pinot Noir to "play" with. I suppose he whipped out his local telephone book and found "W. Guthrie." Roessler probably figured hiring a celebrity such as Woody Guthrie would be a good idea.

As it turned out, he hired Wells Guthrie, a "kid" who looks to young to be a winemaker. Guthrie started his vinous expedition working for The Wine Spectator. He then went off to France and got an education in the Rhone Valley before returning to California and associations with Helen Turley and Ehren Jordan. He's got his own gig called "Copain," as well as consulting for the Roessler family.   The job of winemaker is handled by Scott Shapley, a former Siduri winery associate.

 We're fans of their current "Blue jay" Pinot Noir.  This comes from the cool Anderson Valley.  Some Pinots from this region are picked so late as to show dehydrated, raisiny notes.   This one gets it right.  It's lightly cherryish, berryish and the oak is barely perceptible.  The wine is delicious now and it's best to drink over the next couple of years.  The price is right, too.

Their 2005 Sanford & Benedict is a good bottle of Pinot.  It tastes like Pinot Noir, not Syrah.  Nice fruit, good acidity and balance.  

Currently in stock:  2005 ROESSLER  Anderson Valley "Bluejay" PINOT NOIR $29.99
2005 ROESSLER Santa Rita Hills "Sanford & Benedict Vineyard"  $49.99

SAINTSBURY

David Graves and Dick Ward started this adventure (or venture, take your pick) in the early 1980s.  They feature Carneros-grown Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, always of great interest to those of us serious about these varietals.   I was amused to see Saintsbury is often, today, overlooked by some of the critics and, as a result, "wine geeks."  This is a source of good wine.

We were treated to a fabulous tasting a few years ago, having stopped by with Mario Pojer and Fiorentino & Elisa Sandri, producers of all sorts of wonderful wines (including Pinot Noir) in Italy's Trentino area.  What we've seen is a wonderful evolution in production techniques and perhaps a bit less cellar treatment to create really wonderful Pinot Noirs (and Chardonnays).  The current line-up features splendid wines and those which offer both good quality and value.  


"Garnet" is their lighter-styled Pinot Noir, deeper than Beaujolais, for example. The Garnet is a shade richer than its predecessor.   The wine is intended for immediate drinking.  You'll find lots of lovely strawberry, cherry and a hint of cranberry in this wine...pretty much the usual "suspects" in Pinot Noir.  Oak is not a major component here.  The wine doesn't need wood to be enjoyable.  The 2006 is currently in stock. 

The Carneros Pinot is a medium-bodied, rather elegant rendition.  It's a far cry from the over-the-top, hugely-alcoholic, Pinot-on-Steroids wines which garner huge numerical scores from various critics.  To their credit (in our opinion), Saintsbury continues to make the sort of Pinot Noir they started making a couple of decades ago.  It's bright, shows hints of raspberry and just a touch of wood (if you look deeply enough).  

 

Currently available:  2006 "Garnet"  (List $20)  Sold Out

2003 Carneros Pinot Noir Sold Out

 

 

 

TALLEY VINEYARDS

The Talley's have been growing terrific produce in California's Central Coast since the late 1940s.  The family took note of new vineyards being planted in nearby Santa Barbara and Edna Valley regions and decided to test the waters with some of their own vineyards.  The results were, to put it mildly, rather positive and now things are really out of hand!

We first met Brian Talley, if memory serves, in the late 1980s or early 1990s.  It's been quite a few years that we've had his Chardonnay featured in the shop.  Some of our Santa Barbara area pals buy fruit from the Talley's, one remarking "You know, it's one of the few vineyards I get fruit from that I don't have to tell them how to grow the grapes so I can make a high quality wine."  

Pinot Noirs from this estate can be quite good.  The Talley's seem to prefer showcasing the "fruit" character of their Pinot Noir, rather than the artistry of the barrel builder.  As a result you'll find more the "beet root" and black cherry than wood, though they do use a bit of new French oak.  I find the wood tends to be more in the background with Talley's Pinot Noirs.  

The 2006 Estate is a blend of fruit from their Rosemary's and Rincon vineyards.  This vintage is superb...a really stellar example of Talley Pinot Noir!  It's drinkable now and it ought to cellar well for another three to six years, maybe longer.  Remarkably intense fruit and the wine is beautifully balanced.

We sometimes have their single vineyard wines.   A few bottles periodically make it to the shop...Rosemary's Pinot is available presently...

 

Currently in stock: TALLEY 2006 Estate PINOT NOIR SALE $33.99
2002 Rincon Pinot Noir Sold Out
2005 Rosemary's Pinot Noir $69.99

SEAN THACKREY

The scholarly winemaker Sean Thackrey has been making his famous "Orion," a wine thought to be Syrah, for many years.  He's recently bottled a Pinot Noir which comes from Marin County fruit.

Thackrey is a legendary winemaker, practicing his artistry in Marin County's little village of Bolinas.  Sean's wines are the work of someone who makes wine by feel and by taste, not so much by science or technology.  He studied art history in college and opened a gallery in San Francisco in the 1980s.  Needless to say, he's not your average "Joe Winemaker."

The fruit for his Pinot Noir comes from the Devil's Gulch Ranch, a property near the Point Reyes "peninsula" in Western Marin County.  

While this is not a wine one might mistake for a top appellation of French Burgundy, it is a wine which has the fingerprints of the winemaker.  Those familiar with Thackrey's other wines will probably notice his imprint on this.

We find the 2003 vintage to be a shade more intense than many Pinots.  There's a sense of forest-floor and underbrush to this wine more than huge fruit and sweet oak.  It, like most Thackrey wines, is one to savor and appreciate over the course of a meal.  You can almost witness the wine "blossoming" in the glass as it continues to air and open.  

Limited availability, of course.

Currently in stock:  2003 Thackrey "Andromeda" Pinot Noir $59.99

 

 

 

 

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Last modified: April 22, 2008