2015 Amuse Bouche Richard G Peterson Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

A California Wine Legend

Coming to us from Amuse Bouche, the personal wine stable of Napa’s “First Lady of Wine” Heidi Barrett, this 2015 Richard G. Peterson Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands was hand-crafted by Barrett's father and mentor, Dick Peterson — one of the great legends of California fine wine. Produced from the Wrotham clone of Pinot brought to California in 1980 by Peterson himself, both Antonio Galloni and James Suckling swooned, giving it matching 92-point scores and praising it as “deep, plush and inviting, “so rich in flavor,” “racy,” and “delicious.” This is a master’s Burgundian Pinot from the clone and California terroir he pioneered. Very few cases made — this is a rare opportunity to collect a Californian Pinot Noir produced by a winemaker of such pedigree. For those who secure at least 6 bottles, you’ll receive an exclusive tasting experience invite — keep reading for the details.

It is easy to see how sitting down with Richard G. Peterson to talk about his Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, as we recently did, can result in a California winemaking history lesson: He was Andre Tchelistcheff’s hand-picked successor at Beaulieu Vineyards. He is the inventor of several industry-standard innovations and father of 100-point winemaker Heidi Barrett of Screaming Eagle. In short, our conversation was how Galloni described reading Peterson’s recent book The Winemaker — “totally engrossing.”

Peterson was in the right place at the right time, the best qualified candidate — from winemaking in his native Iowa to an Agricultural Chemistry PhD. at Berkeley — when Gallo was looking for someone to head its post-Prohibition operation. Ten years later, the retiring Tchelistcheff chose Peterson to replace him at BV, where his first three vintages were the historic 1968, ‘69, and ‘70.

The keepsake Peterson brought back in 1980 from England — cuttings of an ancient English Pinot Noir clone called Wrotham — thrived in the cool coastal climate of Monterey. This 2015 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot, half Wrotham and half R-4 clone, is testament to Peterson’s foresight. Spicy, elegant, and Burgundian to the core, it is an example of what California Pinot can be, by a man who helped make California wine what it is.

Buy 6 bottles or more and receive: an exclusive tasting experience of highly allocated wines along with access to closed mailing lists (up to 4 guests). This tasting will be held in a brand-new tasting salon at 1130 Main Street in downtown Napa, or depending upon dates, at Peterson’s Atlas Peak Estate (not open to the public), situated at a breathtaking 2,100-foot elevation with mind-boggling views.