Pinots Everyone Should Know About
- Curated by unrivaled experts
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- Curated by unrivaled experts
- Choose your delivery date
- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
Pinot Noirs with a cult following
Pinot Noir is one of my most revered varieties. It has a quiet elegance, expressing a full array of aromas and flavors, while possessing a more delicate structure. It has the ability to clearly transmit the terroir in which it’s grown and the natural high acidity and soft tannins make it a favorite food-pairing wine.
I created this set of Pinot Noirs to showcase three wineries that all have an unwavering commitment to producing world-class wines. Their painstaking efforts in the vineyards to carefully select the best grapes is matched only by their devotion to the highest quality production in the winery. These are wines that everyone should know about, but with such small production and increasing demand, they have become even more difficult to acquire.
- Vanessa Conlin, Vice President of Wine
The Cult Pinot Noirs Set Includes:
2x 2014 Domaine de La Côte Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills
If there’s anyone who would know how to produce an exciting Pinot Noir that pairs well with food, it’s Raj Parr, one of the most respected Sommeliers in the US. I first met Raj at Michelin-star restaurant Michael Mina many years ago and was not at all surprised when he decided to become a Vintner himself. Raj partnered with winemaker Sashi Moorman to craft this cool climate wine, masterfully centered with a striking streak of acidity surrounded by a lush embrace of fleshy fruit.
Domaine de la Côte is perhaps California’s most talked about fine Pinot Noir, and the buzz is only getting louder with the release of this 2014 masterpiece. Decanter pinned on 97 points naming it their top California Pinot Noir of the 2014 vintage. “Outstanding,” says Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate of La Côte. $90 from the winery, just $45 per bottle from Wine Access, there will be no better chance to secure a true collectors California Pinot of this calibre at this affordable price.
2x 2014 Red Car Wine Company Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
When I worked as a wine director in New York City, I begged for an allocation of Red Car, but this wine was so small in production and so sought-after by the top restaurants that I was never able to snag it. They farm organically and biodynamically, which shows a commitment from the producer toward the long-term health of the vines and the land, and that speaks volumes.
Red Car Wine Company was named to this year’s list of Wine & Spirits “Top 100 Wineries.” At $45 per bottle for this 93-point mineral-driven Sonoma Coast Pinot, now is the time to get acquainted with Red Car before demand outpaces supply. I love this wine for its delicacy of texture, energetic acidity, and low alcohol, resulting in a wine with finesse and elegance.
2x 2016 Scribe Pinot Noir, Sonoma Valley
Founded by two brothers and fourth-generation farmers, Adam and Andrew Mariani, Scribe is one of the hippest young brands in Northern California. They’ve gained a lot of respect in the wine industry for producing high-quality, collectable wines that are accompanied by an infectious sense of fun and an attitude of humility. When visiting the property, there is a focus on wine as an accompaniment to food, highlighted in this Pinot Noir by virtue of the intriguing array of exotic spice notes, a refreshing acidity, and the ripe and round mouthfeel.
“This Pinot Noir is from a vineyard about a mile down the road,” Andrew said during our visit on a balmy Saturday afternoon. “We started planting it in 2007, and we’ve fallen in love with the fruit it’s producing. Clones are 50/50 Martini and Pommard. The soil is rich Huichica loam soil. The climate is slightly cooler, Carneros-like, which means ripening is often elongated. In the 2016 growing season, which was paced perfectly, it made for some of the richest, most beautiful Pinots we’ve produced yet.”