2023 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Bishop's Peak San Luis Obispo Coast 750 ml

You can ask almost anyone who’s bought from Wine Access in the past decade and a half: No brand has thrilled more of them than Talley. Their Burgundian wines have set records around here, and their Bishop’s Peak label has made it clear exactly how great wine can be at and under $25.

Talley’s Bordeaux-inspired Bishop’s Peak Elevation Red was a huge hit when we first offered it. Today, we’re offering their Bishop’s Peak Pinot for the very first time. 

It’s no surprise that this wine comes from excellent sources, as the Talleys are a farming clan through and through. They have been working the land of San Luis Obispo County since 1948, and growing stellar Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on their own vineyards since the early 80s. 

For the Bishop’s Peak Pinot, they tap the Greengate Vineyard located in the heart of the Edna Valley region, adding those grapes to estate fruit grown on their own estate vineyards in the Edna and Arroyo Grande Valleys. They don’t specify which go into this bottle, but they certainly have their pick of the finest vineyards in the area—because they own them. We’re thinking of the iconic Rincon and Rosemary's Vineyards, both planted in the Arroyo Grande Valley in the 1980s, plus the excellent Oliver’s and Stone Corral sites, planted in 1991 and 2001 in the Edna Valley. 

For the 2023 Bishop’s Peak Pinot, winemaker Eric Johnson and his team destemmed the Pinot berries, fermented them on native yeasts in stainless steel and open-top fermenters, punching them down by hand. They then aged the wine for six months in 20% new French oak barrels, yielding a Pinot as fine as anything you will find for the price.