Wine & Spirits - April 2020 - 77

YEAR'S BEST US PINOT NOIRS
bright cherry scent. The flavors are simple
but jubilant, a pure red burst of cherry flavor
dusted with cinnamon, red toned and bright
throughout. -P.J.C.
520042

91 | Kosta Browne

$165

2017 Santa Lucia Highlands Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Thick as compote, with
roasted cherry flavors and dark fruit accents,
this vineyard bottling seems a bit warmer
than Kosta Browne's Pisoni wine, also recommended here. Concentrated and flavorful, this has the extraction to pair with grilled
tri-tip. (973 cases) -P.J.C.
519525

90 | Carmel Road

$35

2016 Arroyo Seco Panorama Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ This has a brooding scent of
tobacco, burnished wood and a whiff of
blood. It's compact and savory, with a spicy
finish for beef stew. (305 cases) -P.J.C.
519862

90 | Chalone

$30

2016 Chalone Estate Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^
The feel of warm sun and a granite grip combine for an arresting aspect to this pinot. The
tannins create a tight perimeter for the cool
fruit. (149 cases) -P.J.C.
516945

90 | Complant

$60

weight of many wines from the area. Instead
there's grip and contour, a whiff of umami
and smoke, with a succulence offset by brisk
acids. (W&S 10/19; 2,338 cases) -P.J.C.
520017

90 | Scheid

$36

90 | Stephen Ross

$42

88 | J. Lohr

$17

2017 Monterey Estate Pinot Noir ^ Sandy
and red, with scents of cranberry and lightly
crushed red fruits, the wine is given some
depth by its firm tannins, which have a dusty,
windswept feel. (576 cases) -P.J.C.
519706
2017 Santa Lucia Highlands Escolle Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Deeply colored, this is rich
and juicy, with black cherry flavors and
sumptuous oak, all delivered with the plushness of velour. It has the stuffing for fennel
roasted pork. (49 cases) -P.J.C.
519223
2018 Monterey County Falcon's Perch
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Oak notes lend
warmth to this wine's dark, grippy plum flavors, and ballast for barbecue. -P.J.C.

S A N LUIS OBISPO C OUNT Y
519396

91 | Talley

$68

2017 Arroyo Grande Valley Rincon Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ As dark as black tea, this
leads with a smoky savor adorning dark
cherry fruit. With air, the wine turns succulent and juicy, weighty but not heavy, and
built to age. (424 cases) -P.J.C.
519428

2017 Santa Lucia Highlands Soberanes
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Daniel Baron, whose
career has included stints at Dominus, Silver
Oak and Twomey, established Complant with
his son, Sam. Their first release includes this
pinot noir from eight rows of Pisoni clone
fruit at Soberanes, spontaneously fermented,
aged in neutral French oak barrels and bottled unfiltered. It channels the sunshine and
coastal warmth of the Santa Lucia Highlands
into a ripe and heady funkadelic energy, then
settles into a silkier mode, with savory herbal
notes, as it integrates with air. It's a new project worth following. (W&S 8/19) -J.G.

2017 Edna Valley Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^
Dark and flavorful, this pinot noir leads with
aromas of gingerbread and dark strawberry.
Its flavors are savory black cherry framed
with tobacco spice, with plush tannins firm
enough for a lean steak. (2,800 cases) -P.J.C.
519508

517702

2018 San Luis Obispo County Stolo
Vineyards Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Wineimporter-turned-winemaker Alex Russan
always makes his wines on the crunchy side.
With scents of red watermelon and pink flowers, and dried-cherry flavors, this one is light,
lean and playful, ready for a chill and some
duck pâté. -P.J.C.
519427

90 | J. Lohr

$35

2016 Santa Lucia Highlands Highlands
Bench Pinot Noir ^ J. Lohr's vineyards are
just west of Gonzales, roughly the midway
point of the Santa Lucia Highlands Bench.
This wine has plenty of ripe strawberry
and plum flavors but avoids the mass and

91 | Tolosa

90 | Metrick

90 | Tolosa

$34

SANTA BARBARA CO UNT Y
520008

91 | Au Bon Climat

$35

91 | Chanin

$50

91 | Deovlet

$40

90 | Storm

$40

2017 Santa Barbara County Los Alamos
Vineyard Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Swirling
with savory aromas, this wine smells of sea
wrack and a bit of sweat, to go along with
light pomegranate flavors. It's lean and
mildly smoky, the savory elements girded by
fine-grain tannins. It took days to unfurl and
has the stuffing to age. (280 cases) -P.J.C.
519339
2017 Santa Barbara County Los Alamos
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This is youthful and
intriguing, with notes of tanbark, pine frond
and grainy strawberry, and an amaro-like
tannic bitterness. Unresolved for now-as is
typical of Chanin's wines-this needs time in
the cellar. (581 cases) -P.J.C.
517334
2017 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ^ A
blend of fruit from three vineyards, including Zotovich and Sanford & Benedict, this is
smoky, with umami notes coming up against
tart blueberry flavors. It's bright, tense and
lean, with a carob-like grip of tannins. For
duck. (W&S 10/19; 335 cases) -P.J.C.
517376
2016 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ^
Scents of cinnamon bark and walnut skin
give this wine a savory feel. The flavors are
as earthy as dried mushrooms, with accents
of black tea and mild smoke; for pistachiocrusted pork. (W&S 10/19; 375 cases) -P.J.C.

S A N TA M A R I A V A L L E Y

$38

$70

2017 Edna Valley 1772 Edna Ranch Pinot
Noir ^ This feels coastal and cool, with a nori
tang and whiffs of cut tobacco. It tastes of
mulled strawberries and tobacco, its texture
burnished and briary, coolly elegant for herbed, whole roast fish. (1,400 cases) -P.J.C.

519564

93 | Cambria

$25

2016 Santa Maria Valley Julia's Vineyard
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Julia's is one of two
vineyards on the estate property named for
the daughters of Barbara Banke and Jess
Jackson (the other is Katherine's). Here, the
benchland clay-loam soils soak up what little
warmth the valley provides; the vines usually
grow fruit with a savory, dark berry expression. This wine is reserved, with elements of
both surf and turf, the tobacco note lined
WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2020

https://www.cambriawines.com/wine/pinot-noir/julias-vineyard-pinot-noir https://www.jlohr.com/wines/2016-highlands-bench-pinot-noir

Wine & Spirits - April 2020

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