7 Reliably Outstanding Fruit-Forward California Pinot Noir Producers

It's no secret California Pinot Noir consumption has taken center stage here at The Wellesley Wine Press lately. But all of this research has to lead to something, right?

I thought it would be interesting to share a list of producers, mostly ones I'd consider to be at least somewhat fruit-forward stylistically, who when I open a bottle of their wines I have full confidence the wine is going to be outstanding.

Here are 7 reliably outstanding California Pinot Noir producers I've discovered:

Kosta Browne

A benchmark, bold, fruit-forward producer. Their appellation wines (Russian River, Sonoma Coast and recently added Santa Lucia Highlands) go for $58 and their single vineyard wines fetch $78. After a string of favorable ratings, their 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year. Rarely seen at retail, this one is mostly mailing list only with some availability in restaurants. A tough mailing list to crack but get on it and have patience. It's worth it. Sign up at http://kostabrowne.com

Sojourn

Some of their wines are rightfully described as "a Cab drinker's Pinot Noir" (Ridgetop, Gap's Crown) but others let the site speak beautifully for itself (Rodgers, Alder Springs). Their appellation wines sell for $39-$42 and they're fantastic. Their single vineyards go for $48-$59. One of the most favorable mailing lists on the planet. Sign up now at http://sojourncellars.com

Radio-Coteau

Gorgeous stuff that shows diversity from vineyard to vineyard. La Neblina and the newly-introduced Laguna are my favorites, Alberigi is leaner in style. You'll see some availability retail but rarely at a price better than what's available winery direct. That these spectacular wines are available in the high $40s is an example of why California Pinot Noir is one of the most exciting categories in wine today.

Dehlinger

Three years ago I'd never heard of Dehlinger. But after a friend introduced me to their wines and I've had a chance to try a number of their bottles and I've been blown away. An old school Pinot Noir producer, they show strength across a number of varieties. Prices are extremely reasonably considering the quality. Their Pinots sell for between $45 and $60. http://dehlingerwinery.com

Sea Smoke

They ruffled some feathers when they labeled their 2009s "Grand Cru", but they're undeniably one of the finest California Pinot Noir producers. There's quite a price gap between their Southing bottling (around $50) and the $100+ "Ten". I say go for the Southing. It ages nicely and can exhibit gorgeous earthy characteristics with just a bit of age. Their 2004 Southing was my wine of the year. Sea Smoke is always a nice bottle to break out for a special occasion. http://seasmoke.com

Belle Glos

Their appelation "Meiomi" bottling ($22 release and available for less at retail if you look around) provides a beautiful window into what they do with their single vineyard bottlings. Las Alturas and Taylor Lane are my favorites for their cherry pipe tobacco notes and polished, effortless richness. Beautifully packaged in wax dipped bottles with scripted lettering, these wines are a great value at $44. And even better when you find them for less at select retailers. So reliably delicious. Search for these at retail on Wine-Searcher.com

Black Kite

A relatively new producer from the Anderson Valley, Black Kite's Kite's Rest bottling has impressed me across a number of vintages. I tasted the 2008 blind against alongside a couple of nice Burgundies and thought to myself: "Now this is what Pinot Noir should taste like". What can I say - I love California Pinot Noir. I usually try to catch this one at specialty retailers due to tough shipping terms winery direct to the Northeast.

Question of the Day: Who did I miss? Who are the California Pinot Noir producers who, when you open a bottle, you're fairly certain it's going to be an outstanding, fruit-forward, enjoyable bottle?

Check back soon for a similar list of leaner, more terroir-driven producers. I'd love it if you subscribed to The Wellesley Wine Press to get new posts sent to your inbox.


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Tasting Report: 2010 Saint Cosme Gigondas

Last week I promised to track down and taste a bottle of the 95 point rated (Wine Spectator) $41 (release price) 2010 Château de Saint-Cosme Gigondas. As promised I ordered a bottle of from Wine.com, it arrived, and I cracked it open.

Side note: It was a full-on 90F degrees the day I had it shipped. I missed the shipment and it was redelivered the next day. I popped the wine open the day after that and you know what? It was totally fine. Maybe we're getting excessively cranked up about shipping wine when it's slightly warm? I mean - this is Massachusetts, not Arizona.

Another thing - people sometimes ask how Wine.com can ship to Massachusetts with all of the shipping restrictions in place here. Wine.com is the only national wine retailer I'm aware of that's taken the time to obtain a Massachusetts retailer license and buys all of their wine they ship to Massachusetts residents from Massachusetts wholesalers. I hope that also helps explain why Wine.com inventory and pricing varies from state to state.

Here are my thoughts on the wine:

2010 Château de Saint-Cosme Gigondas
$41
3,330 Cases Produced

Pretty magenta/ruby in the glass. About 70% opaque. Aromatically, I get ripe raspberry, rose petals, black pepper, and other typical Rhone notes. Really pretty. Shines on the palate with a silky mouth feel up front followed by a nice tannic bite at this stage in its youth. Good dose of acidity too. So elegant and powerful at the same time. Beautifully balanced. Very nice stuff. Tremendous value. Molesworth nailed this one.

93/100 WWP: Outstanding

Further Reading:


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St. Emilion?s ho hum classification

The new, vintage 2012, St. Emilion classification was handed down from Paris last week. About the most unusual thing about it is that INAO actually put the materials on their website (Hooray! Even thought they show an unhealthy taste for pdfs and the media contacts still don’t have email addresses listed.) There hasn’t been any [...]

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Good News Spreads Fast

Word on the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition is spreading like wild fire! A preview tasting for the media last week in Beverly Hills has generated a lot of buzz that we are really excited about! Take a look at some more posts: http://gastronomy-101.blogspot.com/2009/06/event-la-wine-competition-preview-... http://thirstyinla.com/2009/06/19/2009-la-wine-spirits-competition/ http://lablips.dailyradar.com/story/los_angeles_international_wine_and_spirit... http://www.womenwine.com/posts/journals/18487-winners-of-the-2009-la-internat...

Source: http://blogs.fairplex.com/blog/wine/?p=90

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OTBN 13: A Night of Regret & Discovery

Although I was an avid and longtime reader of Dottie Gaiter and John Brecher’s weekly Wall Street Journal wine column, I never have participated in Open That Bottle Night (OTBN). Started in 2000, the event was created as an excuse to open a special wine that remains for whatever reason languishing in your cellar. I [...]

OTBN 13: A Night of Regret & Discovery originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

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