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.