Wild Horse 2015 “Cheval Sauvage” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Long before the movie Sideways, Santa Barbara County has been a hot spot for Pinot Noir. In particular, Sanat Maria Valley is home to some of California’s top vineyards for the …
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Soléna Estate 2015 “Grande Cuvee” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Laurent MontalieuLaurent Montalieu continues to make great wines. Despite selling Soléna Estate to Jackson Family Wine Estates in 2013, Laurent has remained on board as winemaker (For a bit of history …
Cambria 2014 “Benchbreak” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Cambria WineryCambria has always been that tiny corner of the Kendall-Jackson empire that didn’t have that smell of overstuffed marketing. It was the family home of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, …
Jean Cavaille 2016 “Cep Noir Vielles Vignes” Apremont, Savoie
Sometimes you find a great bottle using a wine heuristic. Sometimes is simply picking up a bottle from a beloved-but-obscure wine region. The Apremont region in the Savoie department in France …
King Estate 2014 Pinot Noir, Oregon
One of the great strengths of the Oregon wine scene is that its founders came from all points of the globe from all types of backgrounds. Background A case in point is …
Carneros Hills 2013 Pinot Noir, Carneros
The winery is a project of Jackson Family Wines, and this 2013 Estate Pinot Noir is its debut vintage. A very new winery, but it’s built on some seriously historical dirt.A …
Z’ivo 2012 Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills (Willamette Valley)
John ZelkoJohn Zelko is an interesting guy. He earned his MD from the University of Colorado Denver in 1983. He’s now a practicing surgeon at The Oregon Clinic’s Portland facility, where he’s …
Zotovich Estate 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills
A standout winery from the wine ghetto in (not so) beautiful Lompoc. While this may be the less majestic looking spot in Santa Barbara County, it’s one of the greatest spots …
Solena 2013 “Domaine Danielle Laurent Reserve” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
So the name of this winery is tricky. Solena was a side project that Laurent and Danielle Montalieu worked on while their vineyards matured. The plan was to eventually start making …
Chamisal Estate 2011 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley
Way back in 1973, Chamisal was the pioneering winery in Edna Valley. Owners and varietals have come and gone, but one thing has remained constant: Pinot Noir from Edna Valley is …
Bouchaine 2009 Pinot Noir Carneros
Who are the Bouchaines? It doesn’t really matter at this point. It was the maiden name of one of the original partners in this winery. The important question is, who are …
Saintsbury 2009 “Brown Ranch” Pinot Noir
Saintsbury WineryMost descriptions of Saintsbury Winery will include the word “pioneer” somewhere within the first paragraph. Go one and google it: you will get over 3.5 million pages describing how the …
Roth Estate 2011 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Bill FoleyEver wonder how empires start? Keep an eye on Bill Foley. Last I checked in with him, he was running Foley Estates. I was drinking with his assistant winemaker in …
Expression 44 2010 Roserock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Expression Wines is a new project by William Hill, and it’s all about the Pinot. The conceit of the labeling is that each Pinot is designated by its northern latitude: Santa …
Landmark Vineyards 2011 “Grand Detour” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
First of all, kudos to Landmark Vineyards for the awesome update to their labeling. It’s a great leap backward, and I mean that in the best way possible.This is a bittersweet …
Trisaetum 2011 “Trisae” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Willamette Valley produces some of the world’s best Pinot Noirs. And that is only half the reason to love their wines. The other is its grassroots vibe. Unlike so many …