For decades in California, pinot noir frustrated even the best winemakers. In recent years, though, California has begun to figure out the grape. Today, there are numerous appellations along a 500-mile stretch from Mendocino to Santa Barbara sourcing fine Pinot Noir.
Especially during the last two decades, growers and winemakers have focused more on making food-friendly wines more reflective of their origins. They have identified vineyard sites characterized by proximity to a body of water (the Pacific Ocean or a river) and the associated fog and cool breezes leading to long growing seasons enabling optimal ripeness and naturally fresh acidity.
And the wine’s popularity has surged. According to Nielson, Pinot Noir was the fifth most popular California wine in 2019, based on volume and sales (after chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, red blends, and pinot girgio/gris).
Pinot Noir at its best is all expression of its source. Wine industry folks use terms like appellation and especially terroir to encapsulate the influence of all the factors – climate, soil, surroundings and humans – that contribute to the making of a wine. With quality Pinot Noir, these seem to be even more important than with other wines.
In the glass, the best wines typically reveal pure red (mostly cherry) fruit with integrated forest, earth (occasionally mushroom), and brown spices, all delivered with a silky but fresh texture. The wines below are the best I tasted in recent months.
The prices for such high-level wines (from the best producers and most renowned sites) are similarly high but consumer interest has remained even as prices have risen. Expect higher quality and smaller quantity, especially with vineyard designated wines. The best place to look for good values – high quality and lower price – are the appellation designated wines. And one could argue that single vineyard wines are not uniformly better than appellation but just different expressions of the grape.
Remote, rugged and sparsely populated, the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County is an unexpected (for some) source of fine Pinot Noir. About 110 miles north of San Francisco, the valley has a cool climate with ocean influences like fog despite running parallel Pacific. Not surprisingly, it has drawn the attention of wineries based in other regions. The wines tend to a lean, elegant style, with focused red fruits, and savory nuances.
Cakebread. A respected Carneros Napa Valley producer who recognized the promise of Mendocino. From two estate vineyards, the 2017 Two Creeks Vineyards ($45) shows red fruits and herbs with its firm and slightly sweet presentation.
Domaine Anderson. Owned by the French Champagne company Louis Roederer, which also owns fine Mendocino sparkling wine producers Roederer Estate and Scharfenberger, the 2015 ($40) is concentrated, earthy, and spicy. It has a tight structure but is welcoming.
Goldeneye. The Duckhorn wine company, respected producers of Napa Valley Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, began acquiring vineyards in the Anderson Valley 25 years ago. Its 2017 wines are pricy but deliver the goods.
- Ten Degrees ($125) big, ripe, assertive, balanced
- Confluence Vineyard ($86) oaky, earthy
- The Narrows Vineyard ($86) juicy, plump, tight
- Split Rail Vineyard ($86) juicy, full
Masút. An outlier geographically in this group as it is actually located in the nearby Eagle Peak AVA, this winery and vineyard is owned by the Fetzer family, an iconic name in Mendocino. Masút is a Native American word meaning “dark, rich earth”. The 2016 Estate Vineyard ($40) is unique in this group for its blueberry fruit with spice and anise.
Siduri Wines. Adam and Dianna Lee founded Siduri in 1994. A Pinot Noir specialist that now produces close to two dozen different Pinot Noirs throughout California and Oregon, Siduri’s first ever wine was from Anderson Valley. The 2017 Siduri ($40) shows deep, juicy black and red fruits, forest floor/underbrush but still tastes fresh and crisp, and is broad, and welcoming.
Would you be surprised to hear that Sonoma County is considered one of the premier producers of Pinot Noir on the planet? When I first became interested in wine over forty years ago, I mostly associated Sonoma with Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Bordeaux-style wines and field blends. The fact that a few pioneers were producing notable Pinot Noir at the time flew under my radar.
Now, that has changed, especially for the Russia River Valley and Sonoma Coast AVAs (American Viticultural Area, a legally delineated growing region similar to an appellation in France). Over the last couple decades as growers and winemakers realized such cool climate sites tend to produce the best pinot noir grapes, the appeal of regions in proximity to bodies of water, most notably the Pacific Ocean and the Russian River, for the associated fog and cool breezes, increased dramatically.
Occupying the center of Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley travels west roughly from Healdsburg to Guerneville in its north and Santa Rosa to Occidental in its south. Most pinot noir is grown in the western and southern areas. One such area is the separately identified Green Valley AVA near Occidental. It tends towards slightly cooler mornings but warmer afternoons.
Closer to the Pacific in the western reaches of Sonoma, the Sonoma Coast extends from San Pablo Bay in the south to the border with Mendocino County in the north. The appellation is generally even cooler and experiences more rain than the Russian River Valley. But most vineyards are above the fog line, resulting often in slightly warmer weather.
Within the expansive Sonoma Coast AVA, the Fort Ross – Seaview AVA settles in the northern reaches overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Vineyards within this area are generally located on high elevation ridges and slopes. The Petaluma Gap AVA is nestled in the southern end just 25 miles north of San Francisco. Its vineyards dot valleys and hillsides and are noted for the afternoon wind and fog that rolls in from Bodega Bay to the east.
Benziger. Initially from its ranch on Sonoma Mountain, this family has been a leader in sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming since the early 1980s. From its biodynamic de Coelo Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast (between Freestone and Bodega), its “Quintus” (2016, $69) is a special block that in this vintage shows a dark profile, with a linear streak, finishing with anise and spice.
Blue Farm. After nearly four decades in winegrowing and winemaking with Buena Vista and Donum Estate, Anne Moller-Racke is now devoted to Blue Farm, a project she started with planting a vineyard (in 2001) behind her historic farmhouse in Carneros. It now includes wines sourced from throughout Sonoma County. Her 2017 King Ridge Vineyard ($85), from the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, is polished and velvety, concentrated yet balanced.
J. Bucher. Having operated an organic dairy farm for many years, the Bucher family branched out in 1997 with the planting of the Bucher Vineyard in Russian River Valley. They began making estate grown wines in 2011, with the hiring of Siduri’s Adam Lee as winemaker. The 2017 Bucher Vineyard ($40) is complex mix of dark fruits, earth, spice, forest and saline note, deep, intense, spicy, crisp acids. Two special selections from the Bucher Vineyard – the rich, ripe, mouthwatering, slightly savory 2017 Pommard Clone ($55) and the intense but balanced, lush and lively 2017 Three Sixty ($65), from two blocks of Dijon clones – impressed.
Chappellet. From a winery that has been producing highly prized Napa Valley wines since 1967, its Grower’s Collection presents single vineyard wines from selected, highly respected growers in Sonoma County. Two from Russian River Valley – the deeply fruited, savory complex 2018 Dutton Ranch ($49) from a legendary vineyard and the luxurious, earthy, herbal 2018 Apple Lane Vineyard ($60) from the Green Valley, also farmed by the Dutton family – earned my respect.
Emeritus. This Pinot Noir specialist was established in 1999 by Brice Cutrer Jones, originator of the wildly popular Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay. The winery produces wines from estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. The 2017 Hallberg Ranch ($45) from Green Valley is juicy, elegant yet forceful. The 2017 Pinot Hill ($60) from a vineyard in the southern Sonoma Coast is refined and bracing with a note of sea spray.
Gary Farrell. Since 1982, this winery has gained prestige for single vineyard wines from top Russian River Valley vineyards. Since 2012, the winemaking has been under the skilled stewardship of Theresa Heredia. The wine in my tasting, the tangy, juicy, slightly savory 2017 Russian River Selection ($45), featuring a select blend of barrels, blocks, and vineyards, expresses the essence of the valley.
Lombardi. In 2013, after years in the wine industry, Tony and Christine Lombardi established their own winery, working with a variety of respected growers, especially near Petaluma. Their 2018 Sonoma Coast ($48) represents that AVA with bright, lively, fruit and prominent spice. The 2018 Hill Justice ($68) from a Sonoma Mountain vineyard on the eastern edge of the Petaluma Gap is structured yet elegant with forest notes. The 2018 Giusti Ranch ($68), which dates to the 1870’s in the Russian River Valley, is full and enticing, bright and juicy, with a cola note.
MacRostie. An early pioneer of Sonama Coast, Steve MacRostie has worked with top Sonoma growers since 1987 and now has estate vineyards in the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. From the latter, the 2017 Thale’s Vineyard ($58) presents lively, juicy fruit, with earth and spice. The 2017 Sonoma Coast ($34) is vibrant, lightly earthy, and gently tannic.
Ram’s Gate. Founded in 2011 in Carneros, now transitioning to organic production, Ram’s Gate sources grapes from throughout the county. The 2017 Sonoma Coast ($46) is dark fruited, fresh but lush, lightly woodsy, finishing with noticeable tannin.
Roger Roessler. Having spent over 40 years opening and running dozens of restaurant businesses, mostly in Durango, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, Roger Roessler founded this winery in 2000. The 2017 “Red Birds” Sonoma Coast ($45) is nicely balanced, fresh with light mushroom. The 2018 “Black Pine” Russian River Valley ($30) balances full fruit with earthy and red pepper notes.
Ron Rubin. The owner of The Republic of Tea with a forty-year career in the beverage industry entered the wine business in 2011 with the purchase of River Road Vineyards and Winery in the Green Valley. The 2017 River Road Stephanie’s Cuvée ($30), the portfolio’s most expensive wine, has pure fruit, with a note of cinnamon. The 2017 Ron Rubin Russian River Valley ($25) is pure, direct, and spicy.
Siduri. Siduri’s appellation wines are fine expressions of each selected growing region. The 2017 Russian River Valley ($40) exudes warmth with light spice and juicy fruit.
Three Sticks. A family-owned winery founded in 2002 and led by vineyard owner Bill Price and winemakers Bob Cabral (formerly of Williams-Selyem) and Ryan Pritchard (worked several years at Colorado’s Boulder Creek Winery). The 2018 Price Family Estates ($65) from Sonoma Coast is deeply fruited, precise, lush, and lightly oaky. The 2018 Russian River Valley ($65) offers amazingly well-integrated fruit, luscious texture, and energetic structure.
Straddling the southern reaches of Sonoma and Napa counties, Carneros rises from the San Pablo Bay. Carneros has transformed from sheep and dairy ranches to prime vineyard land over the last fifty years. Cooled by fog and winds from the bay, the resulting wines typically display admirable delicacy, balance and freshness.
Blue Farm. From that estate vineyard behind her Carneros farmhouse I mentioned above, the 2017 Anne Katherina Vineyard ($65) is enticingly floral and silky.
Cuvaison. This winery has been farming Carneros since 1969. Its 2017 “Swan” ($65) bottling is distinguished by a vibrant, balanced character. The Swan pinot noir clone is an heirloom selection from its estate.
Artesa. Owned by Cordoniu, Spain’s oldest winery and the originator of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine). Its 2016 Los Carneros ($28), a really fine value, is refined and luscious, with notes of herbs and spice.
Frank Family. 2017 ($38) This Napa Valley winery sourced fruit from the highly regarded Sangiacomo and Beckstoffer vineyards and the estate Lewis vineyard. It is sleek, earthy and spicy, while richly textured.
Certain microclimates in Monterey County enjoy a balance between cool Monterey Bay breezes from the west and the warming influences from the Salinas Valley to the east.
Just inland from the bay, the vineyards of the Santa Lucia Highlands are planted on the hillsides of the Santa Lucia mountain range overlooking the Salinas Valley. There are many fine, pricy wines being produced from here. My tasting included two really good values. From mostly estate vineyards with some purchased fruit, the vibrant 2017 Siduri ($30) is a fine representation of the viticultural area. Made with Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco (a few miles to the south) fruit, the 2018 J. Lohr “Falcon’s Perch” ($17) is a very good value with fresh, firm, savory; bright, lively red fruits, herbal notes and a hint of sweetness.
Just to the south of Monterey, San Louis Obispo county gets less attention for its wine regions, except for Paso Robles, which has emerged in the past two decades as a world class viticultural area. Beyond that there are a number of notable vineyards, many within just five miles of the Pacific Coast.
Oceano. Grapes are sourced from its estate Spanish Springs Vineyard, which they claim is the closest vineyard to the ocean in California, just 1.5 miles from Pismo Beach. Their 2018 ($45) is a bit closed right now but will improve as its herbal, woodsy qualities integrate with its focused red fruits.
Santa Barbara County sports two regions of note – Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley, especially Santa Rita Hills. The Santa Rita Hills in particular are notable for their east-west orientation, which funnels cooling Pacific Ocean breezes throughout the valley, has become a magnet for top Pinot.
Sea Smoke. Planted thirty years ago, the Sea Smoke estate vineyard is biodynamically farmed. The 2017 “Southing” ($70) is a selection of blocks intended to reflect the variety and complexity of the vineyard. Lush, intense, lightly minty, it is rich, full, and persistent.
The Hilt Estate. Just a few miles away from Sea Smoke, Hilt’s north-facing vineyards occupy the southwest corner of the Santa Rita Hills. The 2017 ($45) blends estate fruit with grapes from Santa Barbara’s famous Sanford & Benedict vineyard. It is pure, elegant, savory.
Finally, you should snap up the 2017 Calera Central Coast ($30) the first chance you get. Comprised of fruit from ten vineyards throughout the Central Coast from Monterey to Santa Barbara, this wine is amazing for being such an amalgam (and at this price). It presents red and black fruits, earthy/underbrush notes, hints of spice, and star anise.