California Easter Pinot Sale: Up to 10% Off! 4-20-25

 

  

Why California Pinot Noir?

Many people think California is too warm for pinot noir. These folks have probably never walked the vineyards of the Sonoma Coast in the early dawn and felt the powerful breeze of the Pacific refresh their senses. Many people think Calfornia pinot noir can never achieve the delicacy, minerality, and finesse of a high-end Burgundy or Willamette Valley example. These folks have probably never tasted the elegance and fine-boned structure of pinot from the Santa Rita Hills and truly been awestruck by how a wine could be simultaneously so flavorsome yet graceful.

California is many things and yes while it is certainly a Mediterranean climate growing area with long sunny days it is also a region with broad extremes of diversity, elevation, soil types, and climatic conditions. For pinot, the key to finding that magic formula of silky tannins and fruit that is more red than blue is to head towards the coast. Pinot grown in and around Sonoma and Santa Barbara have all the benefits of consistent ripening conditions balanced by the cooling influence of the ocean’s western touch. Cool mornings and nights, vineyard plots that reside on marvelously gentle yet elevated slopes, and winemakers with a dream of reliving their first “aha Burgundy moment”, creates a perfect palette of elements for great pinot to be born.

Stylistically these pinots will almost always be more generous than their Oregon and Burgundy peers. The volume of sunshine that these grapes receive contributes to an intoxicating depth of fruit on the noise that might only be revealed in 5+ years on a comparable pinot from elsewhere in the world. That’s not to say that these wines cannot age though, as Calfifornian fruit is built to last, with a density that isn’t rivaled. The tannins on California pinots are supple and mouth coating, but when handled precisely still have the fine-edged structure to keep the wine exciting from glass to glass.

We urge you to try these wines and broaden your horizon from what you thik pinot should be and where it can be grown. The truth is that to know a varietal deeply and intimately is to know how it expresses itself in all conditions and growing areas. California pinot is waiting to open your mind to new delicious flavor…..will you let it?

 

Buy any 3- 5 bottles of CA Pinot for a 5% discount

Buy any 6+ bottles of CA Pinot for a 10% discount

Sale ends Wednesday, April 23rd at 9AM PST

Discounts will be applied after orders are received.

Curated Selections of CA Pinot Noir

Cline Cellars Seven Ranchlands Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2021 750ml $19.50 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Winery Note “Seven Ranchlands is an amazing Pinot Noir, offering an array of red berry characters with depth and richness on the palate making this a superb wine to pair with many cuisines.”

Merry Edwards Meredith Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, USA 2018 750ml $79 special, 7 bottles in stock now
Wine Entusiast 95 points “This wine is exuberantly layered in bright tones of pomegranate and strawberry, while textured with integrated tannins and oak. Complementary elements of forest floor, black tea and clove play well with the fruitiness and enduring lushness on the palate.”

Racines ‘Sta. Rita Hills Cuvee’ Pinot Noir 2020 750ml $54.50 special, 11 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 93 points “The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a terrific introduction to the range. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a touch of whole cluster savoriness are all beautifully delineated. This is suh a gorgeous and expressive Pinot.”

Racines Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 2020 750ml $115 special, 8 bottles in stock now
Decanter 94 points “From organic vineyards along the Santa Rosa Road corridor, this Pinot Noir from Racines is a straightforward cooler site Pinot Noir from Sta Rita Hills. Aromas of strawberry fruit leather give way to notes of turned earth and crushed black basalt. The palate is savoury, with underlying dried fruit flavours. Montmorency cherries, garden soil and clove, evolve into notes of savoury herbs and streaks of graphite minerality.”

Sanford Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, USA 2020 750ml $33 special, 12 bottles available
 Jeb Dunnuck 94 points “The entry level 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from a mix of the Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict vineyards and spent 11 months in 27% new French oak. This ruby-hued effort gives up a gorgeous perfume of ripe raspberry and strawberry fruits as well as white flowers, spice, and a touch of chalky, mineral-like nuances. Medium-bodied, seamless, and balanced on the palate, it’s just a flat-out beautiful expression of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Stunning, with a glistening core of mulberry and boysenberry coulis flavors, inlaid with a tangy mineral streak and backed by subtle black tea and mulling spice hints. Should age nicely. Drink now through 2029. 270 cases made.”

Beau Marchais Clos Pepe Est Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills, USA 2020 750ml $85 special, 10 bottle available
 Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 points “While there won’t be any releases from Santa Lucia due to smoke, they were able to release their Clos Pepe Pinot Noirs. The 2020 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Est Vineyard saw 25% stems, 48 days on stems, and aging all in new barrels. Lots of mulberry, chocolate covered strawberries, and plum fruits as well as notes of orange blossom and spice emerge from the glass, and it’s a rich, full-bodied, textured beauty that packs one heck of a mid-palate. With ripe tannins and an expansive, supple texture, drink this hedonistic, sexy Pinot Noir on release and over the following 7-8 years.”

Rhys Vineyards Family Farm Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, USA 2018 750ml $79 special, 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 93 points “Within the impressively structured Rhys lineup, the 2018 Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard is relatively accessible in its youth. It is dark, meaty and savory on the nose, with aromas of black fruit, mortadella, plums and cardamom. The palate is rich and forward, with a velvety texture and deft concentration, leading to a fresh and floral finish that rounds the wine out beautifully.”

Rhys Vineyards Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, USA 2019 750ml $99 special, 3 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is unusually wide open from the first pour, offering an immediately dazzling nose of perfectly ripe red fruits, cherry blossoms, cured meat, river rocks and petrichor. The palate is silky, suave and precise with less weight than usual, seemingly sacrificing none of the power, complexity and refreshing momentum generated with aeration. Echoing the palate, the finish is initially more subtle than explosive, nevertheless ending up at the same amazingly complex, expansive destination. As always, this does nothing but morph and gain dimension with time, as I have no doubt it will do over the next two decades.”

Rhys Vineyards Mt. Pajero Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, USA 2019 750ml $87 special, 4 bottle available
Wine Advocate 94 points “Lovely and coniferous on the nose, the 2019 Pinot Noir Mt. Pajaro Vineyard opens with black cherry, blueberry, redwood duff and evergreen aromas. The palate perfectly summarizes the Corralitos region’s medium-bodied, seamless red-fruited profile and lifted saline energy. The elegant finish is already beginning to integrate, showing a solid tannic grip but emphasizing refreshing acidity. The Rhys team is confident that this site will produce Pinot Noir on par with its flagship Horseshoe and Alpine sites with time, and this vintage provides some foreshadowing of that future.”