TRY VERSATILE CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR FOR THE HOLIDAYS

This time of year, just about every wine and food publication issues its take on what wines to drink with your holiday meals. Well, I’m no different. In this post, I focus on California Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir at its best is all about expression of its source. Wine industry folks use terms like appellation and especially terroir to encapsulate the influence of all the factors – climate, soil, and humans – that contribute to the making of a wine. With Pinot Noir, these seem to be even more important than with other wines.

With producers identifying more appropriate growing sites (namely cooler climates with longer growing seasons that enable the grapes to ripen while retaining good acidity), matching better quality clones to particular sites, cultivating with extra care, and employing improved vinification techniques, there are countless good to outstanding wines now available for consumers.

There are typical characteristics attributable to the pinot noir grape and accented with the judicious use of oak: aromas and flavors centering on cherry and brown (baking) spices, earthy, mushroom notes, silky texture, and purity of fruit. In California, there are numerous appellations in a 500-mile stretch from Mendocino in the north to Santa Barbara in the south where fine Pinot Noir is made. In my recent tastings, most of them were represented and produced wines I can recommend. It remains a challenge, though, to find a California Pinot Noir with a favorable price/quality relationship. Still, my tastings did turn up some good values for those of you on a tight budget.

Enjoy!

Excellent

 2011 La Crema Russian River Valley ($40) – layers of deep fruit, vanilla, floral notes, fine purity with a solid structure and an enticing, juicy finish

2010 Patz & Hall Pisoni Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands ($85) – a big, ripe wine, juicy dark berries, sleek texture, high alcohol, still balances these contradictory qualities

2011 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands ($42) – pretty fruit, touches of earth, toasty oak, spice, lush but lively texture, lingering finish

2011 Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Carneros ($65) – complex mix of intense fruit, floral notes and spice, nice touch of lively acidity and dusty tannins

2010 Goldeneye Anderson Valley ($55) – deftly combines power and elegance, vibrant fruit with firm tannins and earthy notes

2011 Guarachi Family Sonoma Cost ($65) – bursting with pure cherry fruit offset with toasty oak

Very Good

2012 La Crema Sonoma Coast ($25) – concentrated and focused, nicely integrated red fruits, floral and licorice notes supple texture

2012 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast ($46) – tart red fruits, earth tones, touches of cola and toast lush texture

2010 Landmark Grand Detour Sonoma Coast ($35) – bursting with dark fruit, floral and herbal notes, toast, and a touch of anise, vibrant and balanced

2011 Davis Bynum Jane’s Vineyard Russian River Valley ($40) – layers of sweet black cherry and tart red plum, quite spicy, good acidity, and a full, sleek mouthfeel

2010 Alta Maria Santa Maria Valley ($28) – sweet, ripe fruit with floral notes, a hint of cocoa and an appealing freshness

2011 Cambria Bench Break Santa Maria Valley ($34) – red fruit with forest and floral notes, noticeable spice, big body and structure but silky texture

2011 Laetitia Resrve du Domaine Arroyo Grande Valley ($40) – pure red fruits, lively acidity, hints of oak and earth add intrigue

2011 Talbott “Logan” Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands ($25) – juicy, upfront red fruit, appealing spice with lush, lively texture

2011 Frank Family Carneros ($35) – deep, ripe black cherry with light oak and spice notes, fills out nicely, silky texture but firming acidity

2011 Byron Santa Maria Valley ($29) – very spicy with pretty fruit and subtle mushroom notes, supple and expressive, yet good structure and tasty

2011 J. Lohr Fog’s Reach Vineyard Arroyo Seco ($35) – fresh plum and cherry with herbs, anise and earthy nuances, firm acidity, spicy finish

2012 Artesa Carneros ($25) – ripe and bright red fruits, floral notes, toasty oak and a hint of spice come together nicely

2010 Clos du Val Carneros ($30) – made in Clos du Val’s classic, elegant style with pleasing red liqueur fruit, a sharp focus and a welcoming texture

2011 Rodney Strong Estate Russian River Valley ($25) – light but pretty and vibrant red fruit with hints of spice, mint and oak, finishing smooth and silky

2011 MacMurray Russian River Valley ($27) – straightforward red fruit character with a soft but refreshing palate

Good

2011 Talbott Kali Hart ($21) – forward black cherry fruit, cinnamon accent, bright mouthfeel, and refreshing finish

2011 Carmel Road Arroyo Seco ($22) – earth and mushroom dominate fresh red fruit, touches of sweet oak and spice add interest

2012 Laetitia Estate Arroyo Grande Valley ($25) – an elegant vibrant rendition of the property’s fine quality fruit

2011 La Crema Monterey ($23) – lighter red cherry notes with touches of licorice and mushroom

2011 Cambria Julia’s Santa Maria ($25) – pleasantly juicy with nice plum fruit and spice lifted with good acidity

2012 McManis California ($11) – smooth, easy-drinking with cherry-vanilla layers from start to finish, a really excellent value

2011 Garnet Monterey ($15) – dark red and plum fruit, earthy notes, velvety texture, a very good value

2011 MacMurray Central Coast ($23) – light but tasty fruit with strong spice and a soft texture

2011 J. Lohr Falcon’s Perch Monterey County ($17) – simple and light but good, sweet fruit

2012 Murphy Goode California ($15) – basic, tasty cherry with a hint of smoke