Matthew Ankeny February 9, 2017

The Best California Pinot Noir Winesgearpatrol.com/2017/02/09/best-california-pinot-noir-wines/

Wine is meant to be enjoyed, and enjoyment does not mean sitting at a table stiff-backed,sniffing, sipping and slurping, then analyzing color, flavor, viscosity and mouthfeel, and thenspitting the liquid into a dump bucket. Enjoyment means opening a bottle with friends, sittingcomfortably, sharing stories and communing. It is the sacrament, after all.

So this beginner’s list doesn’t address taste or flavor or technical bits like ABV, clone strand orsoil composition; it addresses the region the wines were grown in, and the winemakers whowrote the “recipes” for each. It also, hopefully, tells a short story about the bottle, which youcan share when opening it among friends. Because identifying notes of honeycomb or stablehay doesn’t matter as much as engaging with wine’s more magical components — namely, thecommitment to sit and talk awhile, at least until the end of the bottle.

More EatsAmerica’s Most Celebrated Knife Maker IsJust Getting StartedShop Like the Pros and Order Your BeefOnlineSave $120+ on Vitamix’s Most PowerfulHousehold BlenderCriteria for Selection: All of these grapesand wines are grown, aged and bottled inCalifornia, one of the few pinot noirgrowing regions in the world (other majorregions include Burgundy, Oregon, NewZealand). These wines were selected as asampling of wines I tasted while travelingthrough California, meeting and drinkingwith the winemakers and vineyardmanagers who grew this local, craftbeverage. I tried to keep the list to people Ihad met, because I can best share theirstories. That said, I do think this list standsup as a comprehensive, though notexhaustive, sampling of California pinotnoir, and the bottles selected aredemonstrative of each winery’s style.

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I also considered availability. All the bottleslisted here are available for purchaseonline or by joining the respectivevineyard’s wine club. Of course, you canvisit a local wine shop and inquire aboutsourcing bottles from there. I’ve found thatbefriending a wine shop owner is one ofthe better investments one can make inlife.

A Note on Pricing: None of thesebottles are more than $100, anexceptional deal for world-class pinot noir. I’d heavily advise avoiding bottles under$20, however, for quality-of-taste reasons. I found $30–$50 a bottle to be domesticpinot noir’s sweet spot in pricing.

Santa Barbara County

At the southern end of California’s pinot noir region, Santa Barbara is a good place to startdrinking your way up the coast. The wines are exceptional and extremely affordable, which is atestament to the quality of the growing region, soil and climate — and the practices of thevineyards. Much of the grape harvest goes to bigger-name producers up the coast in Sonomaand Napa, but the true aficionados know to drink the good wines by sticking with the localwineries of the region.

J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir

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Meant as an affordable yet refined pinot noir, this bottle is readily available and doesn’t breakthe bank. Winemaker Wes Hagen is an affable geek, and between his time winemaking, healso hops around the country, teaching the history of wine at Cornell University and CaliforniaInstitute of Technology. For a solid introduction to pinot, this is a great place to start, and knowthat each sip is backed by an encyclopedia of wine knowledge.Buy Now: $30

Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

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Spend anytime drinking California pinot, and the name Sanford & Benedict will arise. They areone of most established growers in the region, and winemaker Steve Fennell makes incrediblewines. This bottle is a more wallet-friendly option, and it pulls together grapes from a variety ofvineyards in the Santa Rita Hills. It’s a good introduction to Sanford’s offerings — a little likestarting with Foster Wallace’s journalism, before jumping into Infinite Jest.Buy Now: $35

Lutum Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir

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When I met with the local winemakers of Santa Barbara, winemaker Gavin Chanin stood out.He was younger than most seated at our table, yet he garnered respect. Lutum invested in theyoung maverick, and put him at the helm of turning the grapes from their vineyards into greatwine. The results are memorable.Buy Now: $50

Babcock Winery Ocean’s Ghost Pinot Noir

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Winemaker Bryan Babcock is an old-school California grower, and he’s drawn to the sensualside of the wine. He’s great company to drink with, often calling out the sexy and seductivenature of a particularly good glass. Babcock is also pioneering a new trellising system for hisgrapes in an attempt to reduce water usage, lower the workload of vineyard workers and, mostimportantly, improve flavor.Buy Now: $60

Other Notable Santa Barbara County WineriesGypsy Canyon: a later-in-life project from two ex-LA-ers, GC makes incredible,high-end wines. They’re great, and the price reflects it. Order HereAu Bon Climat: like Sanford & Benedict, one of the old-order wineries in the regionand a canonical California wine. Order HerePresqu’ile: a South African transplant, Dieter Cronje runs the winemakingoperation here, and he, like Chanin, is a rising star in the space. Order Here

Monterey County

Tucked in the Salinas valley, this region sees that perfect grape growing mix of evening andmorning fog, and hot, sunny days. The soil is right. The weather is right. And the land yieldsincredible grapes. It’s also a charming farm community (this is the “lettuce belt”, where most ofthe nation’s greens are grown), and the most rustic and least developed of the areas I visited.It’s down-home winemaking in a golden location.

Roar Sierra Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir6/18

In the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, two Gary’s run the show — Gary Franscioni and GaryPisoni. Franscioni is an incredibly affable guy, and the perfect drinking partner. In our dinnertogether, he kept the jokes flowing along with the wine. His wine is exceptional, and hisvineyards grow some of the most desired grapes in the state. This is aficionado’s wine, and it’swell worth the investment to be on his wine club list.Buy Now: Here

Hahn SLH Pinot Noir

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Hahn’s a relatively ubiquitous label, but that shouldn’t confused them for a big operation. Whentouring the facility, I ran into the winemaker, Greg Freeman, and he took the time to pull winecurrently in barrel aging, showed us the lab, and talk the process through. There’s a business,science and art to wine, and Hahn hits all three.Buy Now: $30

Pisoni SLH Pinot Noir

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Mark Pisoni, Gary Pisoni’s son, joined Gary Fanscioni at our dinner, and proved the perfectsidekick. He’s affable and kind, and also helped field my litany of questions. He’s a child of thisland, and has the good luck of being heir to some of the finest land in California. The winesfrom the Pisoni label are from the vineyards premium grapes (they also have the Lucia andLucy labels), and they reflect the best of this region.Buy Now: Here

Calera Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir

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Full disclosure: I didn’t visit Josh Jensen’s labor of love in the mountainous Mt. Harlan AVA.But Calera is one of the iconic California pinot noir makers, and I’ve since consumed a fewbottles and read the book, The Heartbreak Grape, about Jensen’s winemaking. Wine from hisnamesake plot makes his most notable wine, but the whole collection is worthy of a glass (ortwo).Buy Now: Here

Other Notable Monterey County WineriesMorgan: Dan Morgan Lee started making wine in Monterey County in the late ’70s,and he’s been a staple of the region ever since. Order HerePuma Road: Ray Franscioni, a relative of Gary, runs this small winery creatingdelicious wines from the SLH. Order HerePessagno: a Another offshoot of the Franscioni family, Ray helps with thewinemaking of this mainly Monterey-wines label. Order Here

Sonoma and Napa County

In the pantheon of California pinot, Sonoma sit as the top. Partially, that’s name recognition;sitting next to the Napa Valley, Sonoma benefits from being a part of the most recognized wineregion in the world. The other part is that the conditions are fantastic for growing pinot, withthat precious fog rolling through the Petaluma gap every evening. That and, the vineyards andwineries know how to do things right. Many of the wineries in Sonoma also buy grapes fromthe other two regions to make their wines — which highlights the difference in demand (or, insome cases, intent) for these wineries.

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Landmark Vineyards Grand Detour Pinot Noir

Winemaker Greg Stach said that he started making pinot for one reason: it’s the hardest to getright. If you want to be the best winemaker you can be, you grow and make pinot. He does,and has seen success. What you get out of this bottle is a determined effort to make the finestwine possible — as for the name, the vineyards that make up this bottle are a worthy detour topursue (driving, and — separately — drinking).Buy Now: $35

Balletto Vineyards Burnside Pinot Noir

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If goodness of heart is any indicator of success, then John Balletto is justified in hisaccomplishments. One of the more generous, big-hearted people I met, Balletto took usaround his vineyards on ATVs, talking through his wines and sharing stories from hisupbringing, right there on the land. Balletto owns some premium plots of land in the region (thefarmland is second generation), and the pinot, which creates the best flavor when grown in theright conditions and then left relatively undisturbed, reflects this.Buy Now: $42

Siduri Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir

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Adam Lee moved from Texas to Sonoma with $15,000 in his pocket, a big personality and adream. Lately, it all has turned out right. His winery recently sold to Kendall-Jackson, but he’sretained control of the winemaking. Sourcing grapes from premium vineyards around the state,Siduri doesn’t tend its own vines, but makes the most of their vineyard relationships. Tastingacross the Siduri spectrum is also tasting across the entire state, which is, as recreationalactivities go, a pretty good time.Buy Now: $55

Poseidon Vineyard ‘Primo’s Hill’ Pinot Noir

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Poseidon rests at sea level, by the Carneros Creek and the Napa River (on the Napa Countyside of the Carneros AVA, rather than Sonoma County). Primo’s Hill is a bit up from the water,and winemaker Alex Beloz uses the low yield of the pebble-and-gravel slope to bring somegreat wine to expression. This wine is classic Carneros, and it’s from one of the most premiumplots of land in the area.Buy Now: $55

Patz & Hall Jenkins Ranch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

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If there was one savant of wine I met, it’d be winemaker James Hall. In a quiet way, hedemonstrated exactly how he makes his wine and why, perhaps, his wine is better. He hascontracts with the best vineyards in the state and meticulously controls every step of thewinemaking process, down to how long the French oak dries in the open air (he bought hisown portion of a forest for this purpose). The results are impeccable, and if you want one bottleto truly impress guests, this one has the name recognition and quality to achieve that.Buy Now: $60

Russian River Vineyards Appian Way Pinot Noir

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Russian River Vineyards operates a fantastic, rustic-fare restaurant, and also makes someincredible wine from both estate and local vineyards. Winemaker Giovanni Balistreri is a young,charismatic force in the Sonoma Valley, part of a growing number of the next generation takingover the winemaking in the region.Buy Now: $65

Artesa Block 91D Estate Pinot Noir

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It’s not unusual to find a female winemaker, but it’s not common. Ana Diogo-Draper runs thewinemaking operation at this Spanish-owned winery, and she’s chock-full of force of will andpersonality. This vitality comes through in the wines, which are perhaps best shown by a singlevineyard wine, Block 91D — a premium parcel of land on the estate. This is sense of place in abottle, at the hand of a very deft winemaker.Buy Now: $80

Other Notable Sonoma and Napa County WineriesSchug: Schug maintains the traditional, simple winemaking of its German ancestry;they also sit on an incredibly windy plot of land, which strains the vines and makesthe wine that extra bit of delicious. Order HereChristopher Creek: the trip to Healdsburg is always worth it, but especially whenyou’re stopping off to grab some CC pinot noir. Order HereDonum: an estate-only winery, they produce fantastic wines from Carneros, theRussian River Valley and Anderson Valley. Order HereEssentials to Outfit Your Home Wine Bar

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