» Pinot Noir

2007 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Sean — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:40:29 +0000

Wine Spectator has just named the 2007 vintage Pinot Noir California’s best ever. What does this mean? Besides price increases across the board, it means you should get your hands on this vintage right away.

The Santa Rita Hills are located in the larger Santa Barbara region of California, about 100 miles North of Los Angeles. The area is one of the state’s premier Pinot Noir districts, garnering an overall rating of 93 points for the 2007 vintage, with many of its wines scoring much higher.

A.P. Vin

95 points

Perhaps the wine with the one of the best values on Wine Spectator’s “recommended list” is the A.P. Vin from Santa Rita Hills. This Pinot scored a staggering 95 points, yet is still selling at the low price of $48 / bottle.

“Superrich, bordering on syrupy, with dense, focused, concentrated plum, blueberry and blackberry fruit that’s thick and persistent, with wonderful length and concentration.”

- James Laube, WS

Melville

Estate

This 2007 is sure to impress, coming from the respected Melville Santa Rita Hills Estate. Aged in French Oak and gently racked straight into your bottle. It is unrated as of yet, but you can bet it will be scoring well.

“ With a pretty, dark red-blue hue, this wine opens with lifted fruit punch aromatics of black raspberry, black cherry, fig and watermelon. Spice nuances of pink peppercorns, oolong tea, iron and sesame seed follow. This wine balances the complexity with feminine grace as hints of purple flowers and hibiscus radiate while also yielding to oceanic themes of sand and iodine. These aspects manifest cohesively on the palate bolstering its presence with significant texture and verve.”

The 2007 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noirs experienced a “Goldilocks” year, the weather being not too hot, not too cold, but just right. You can expect your wine to come out much the same way, just right.

Gems Aplenty with Dierberg Wines at Topaz

Sean Chaudhry — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:30:57 +0000

Everyone likes being part of a secret. And maybe that’s why the dinner that we held about a week ago at Topaz featuring an assortment of Jim and Mary Dierberg’s wines was such a hit. Sure, our event was publicized, and the restaurant is known to be one of the best in our area, but the wines—these were well-reviewed wines that have surprisingly not gotten a lot of press. So, it was a real treat to not only taste the wines, but to do so with the winery owners and their winemaker, Nick de Luca.

Pisoni Pinot: Overcoming odds, criticism and convention

Ivy Kupec — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:53:58 +0000

: The one and only: Gary Pisoni

Perhaps the saying should go: great wine is more than the sum of its parts. If Aristotle, who is often attributed for recognizing that one plus one can equal much more, had only known Gary Pisoni.

Pisoni has found a formula for taking 45 arid, gravelly, granite-y Monterey hillside acres of mostly pinot grapes minus an apparent water source plus (if you believe rumors) smuggled-in root stalk from Domaine de la Romanée Conti plus the nagging concern that his blocks of vulnerable, own-rooted vines will succumb to the phylloxera that has downed so many great vines before, and the sum is far more than just good bottles of wine.

No, one could argue that while many California winemakers make exceptional wine, few have not only started with so many obstacles but seemingly enjoyed flying in the face of conventional solutions. And, succeeded so impressively.

The story begins

Pisoni’s determination at producing a top-notch Pinot is truly noble, but maybe that comes with the territory of a clear Pinot fanatic.

Consider how the vineyard is a portion of 300 acres on hilly, rough land in the Santa Lucia Highlands better suited for horse farming than agriculture. With the initial five-acre planting in 1982, Pisoni had to irrigate with a water truck he drove there. It took six drilling attempts over 10 years before he finally struck water, surprising neighboring vintners. But, that wasn’t the only trailblazing for Pisoni.

In a 2005 interview in Wines and Vines, Pisoni admits his fascination with earlier growing methods for Pinot Noir. “I used to read books about Pinot Noir and studied Burgundy, and all the old timers would say, ‘Sonny, you should have tried the vines before the phylloxera came in. Old World flavors!”

It’s what prompted him to forego phylloxera-resistant grafting and try own-rooted vines. Factoring in his land’s 1,300 foot elevation, its virgin soil and his ability to minimize exposure by using only his own tilling equipment, Pisoni has succeeded in producing extraordinary grapes, and many credit this decision. Pisoni believes it adds another dimension to his wine.

But for Pisoni the quest for Pinot perfection is never-ending. He has experimented with different types of rootstocks and nontraditional trellising approaches. These days, his vineyard is divided into nine smaller, named “blocks” that can be as small as a half acre. Interestingly, he treats every block as its own farm with a distinct soil type, sun exposure and microclimate. Many of the top Pinot producers buy their grapes from Pisoni “by the acre” such that they make the farming decisions for their specific grapes. Consequently, picking time can vary by two weeks between sections within Pisoni’s vineyard.

The Elias block and its precious low yield each year is used predominately to make his Pisoni Estate Pinot Noir.

Yes, but how does it taste?

It’s probably not surprising that this kind of dedication produces wines that Robert Parker Jr. and Wine Spectator rave about. The 2006 Pisoni is no exception. Parker rated the deep ruby/purple-hued wine a 95+. Tasting notes praise its “sensational perfume of spring flowers, forest floor, black raspberries, even blacker berries, and hints of smoke as well as earth. A sensational texture, full-bodied mouthfeel, and no sense of heaviness suggest this well-structured, moderately tannic wine will last for at least a decade.”

Some say Pisoni is just lucky. Maybe he has fabulous intuition or some existential connection to the grapes on land that Indians say was magical and evoked spiritual power. Whatever the reason, it adds up to a winegrower and wine that are consistently winners.

- Ivy F. Kupec

The Lore of the Loring

Ivy Kupec — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:47:46 +0000

Brian Loring has come to learn that it works best to mix old with new.

A winemaker since 1999 whose boutique Pinot Noir caught and held wine critics and wine enthusiasts attention, Loring has been known for New World or Caliesque style dark, fruity wines often seen from the Central California region. However, it is his underlying Old World attitude that puts his focus on the importance of the grapes and terroir that is clearly coming through and tempering some of that in your face description he heard about his earlier vintages. It is also why his wine has become so noteworthy. The most recent vintage to be reviewed, the 2007 Loring Wine Company Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir received its highest marks yet from Pinot Report with a 97 rating.

Without a doubt, Brian Loring is on a life-long quest for the best Pinot Noir. Each year, he buys grapes from 10-13 of the best, most prestigious growers that span the cooler California and Oregon Pinot-growing area. In announcing the sale of his 2007 vintages he apologized that despite it appearing to threaten his credibility, they were even better than the 2006; great wines in their own right. Not so surprising. Throughout California, 2007 vintages are expected to be outstanding. Low yields meant very concentrated wines, and great weather at harvest resulted in lower alcohols. The bottom line: were in for some tasty Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir on the whole is lighter bodied than Cabernets or Merlots, but the Caliesque style features a more robust Pinot. The 2007 Loring Clos Pepe is a richer ruby color and described as having big, full, rich dark cherry and plum flavors with peppery notes, and its the complexity of flavors, perhaps, that made Pinot Noir the centerpiece of the 2005 movie, Sideways.

A little Loring Lore

Self-described as a total Pinot Freak, Loring got interested in wine during college when he worked for various wine shops. Despite his career as an IT engineer, he didn’t forget his love for wine, and specifically Pinot Noir. In 1999, after being a Cottonwood Canyon Pinot Noir self-proclaimed groupie who attended every wine event there and pumped its proprietor Norm Beko with thousands of questions, he took the leap and started his own winemaking. Using $20,000, a couple of barrels of grapes from Beko and part of a leased warehouse, he made his first wine while still working full-time as a computer programmer, mostly for the military. No winery. No vineyard. No experience. But, apparently, very good wine.

In 2000, he started getting grapes from Clos Pepe, a burgeoning grape grower, and together, he made wine he, himself, was so impressed with that he sent some to Wine Spectator to taste, not knowing if they would even review it. The outcome: Wine Critic James Laube raved, and the spotlight was turned on for Loring Wine Company.

The evolving Loring Pinot

Initially, Loring just dreamed of becoming a winemaker and some day producing 3,000 cases of Pinot each year in his own winery. These days, he is living the dream. He is a full-time winemaker at a 20,000 square foot winery in Lompoc, Calif., producing 7,000-8,000 cases and having a new goal of 10,000 cases/year in the future. Because of his very limited experience in the wine business, his philosophy has always been to rely on the experience and knowledge of the best grape growers he can find. He pays top dollar for his grapes, so the growers can focus on smaller yields and produce a better product.

For Loring, the key to success is very simple: its all about the grape.

-Ivy F. Kupec