7 California PINOT NOIR red WINES to try!!!

Pinot Noir is loved the world over. Its origins lie in Burgundy but America is actually the second-largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world. Most of that production in the USA is Californian Pinot Noir. Join me for a blind tasting.

🍷 Rovsya Wine Glasses:

🥂 Wines featured in this episode:
Alma Rosa, El Jabali Pinot Noir 2020
Barra, Pinot Noir Reserve 2021
Bouchaine, Estate Pinot Noir 2019
Lucas & Lewellen, High 9 Goodchild Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018

00:00 Pinot Noir in California
03:01 Blind Tasting Pinot Noir
09:07 The Reveal

✍ Related Article:
#pinotnoir #california #redwine

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[dantheman]

Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County produces some very elegant Pinot Noir.

[KPA]

I would say my 'favorite' CA regions for Pinot Noir are 1) Russian River Valley and 2) Santa Maria Valley as I find them to be consistent in their presentations (raspberry, strawberry, touch of oak, herbal, kirsch, well-balanced). Prices have gone up but if one is diligent and patient, you can still find a quality CA Pinot for less than $25.

[larsio]

High end Austrian pinot noir can be outstanding as well. Thank you for your passionate and informative videos, alwats a joy to watch.

[solomonmengeu]

Ahhh, Californian PN a very interesting and unfortunately a pretty expensive option and question nowadays. I remember back when I did my WSET L2 course here in Taiwan back in '13/14 our instructor was giving us a class on PN and she said something rather interesting. I don't remember word for word what she said, but something along the line of "in California the elegant and dainty princess of Pinot Noir becomes a Transformer Robot Barbie".

That was obviously a blanket statement and an overgeneralization of the Cali PN scene, and I am sure it's changed a lot over the past 10 years. I do remember that I wasn't very impressed with the Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs in class at the time, I did like the Aussie and Kiwis ones more. My palate has evolved since then and I have had a Cali PN or two and enjoyed them. The big problem is the price, as whatever it's selling for over there, here it's going to be double, if not triple the price.

So I generally stick to South African or Kiwi PN, if I want something decent that isn't going to break the bank. German Spatburgunder is becoming more available and affordable now. I think my palate goes more towards the cooler regions of Santa Barbara County and the Sonoma Coast.

[gooseman]

Love Small Vines! Had an amazing visit last year. Cheers !

[AlejandroPDX]

I’m a big Oregon pinot fan…but I i’ll just have to try CA pinot now 😆

[numanuma]

I think Anderson Valley makes great Pinot Noir. Walt’s Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley is so good. Very elegant.

[LadyAceRoxy]

Russian River Valley. Ancient Oak especially. Got me interested in Pinot in the first place it was so sublime!

[noahcap]

Thanks for the video. I first fell in love with wine on a trip to Sonoma, staying in a little house at the mouth of the Russian River. My tastes have branched out to all sorts of styles from all over the world, but I'll always have a soft spot for the wines that turned me into a full on wine lover: Pinot and Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast and RRV. It's great to see them coming out on to of your tasting.. So many great producers out there, but as you point out, not cheap! The best ones are worth it though, I think.

[adgten]

Sta Rita Hills. Melville is making stunning PN. Ojai Vineyard is also up there for me! Thanks for the video!

[smallvineswines]

Thankyou for sharing...Yes, you do need to come out for a visit! When?

[crrizello]

I’m most familiar with Sonoma Pinot Noir as I’m in Northern California and now looking to try out more near Santa Barbara.

[cosmonaut]

I'm a Pinot Noir fanatic. By far, my favorites come from the Sonoma County coast and the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. So, I guess that I agree with your #1 and #2 picks.

[vegasrenie]

Monterey County, Mt. Harlan AVA, where Calera Winery is the ONLY winery and specializes in Pinot Noir, and Pinots from the tiny areas around Carmel by the Sea.

[GoFishingOrGoHome]

Hey Dr, can you please do a video on Northern us and ontario hybrid reds? There are some super steller ones!

[kseniasocheykina]

I have tried two Pinot Noirs from California, one from Napa Valley and the other from Sonoma.They were very good and different, both were really enjoyable.

[isabelab]

Green valley of Russian River, the Fort Ross. That said, Petaluma Gap and Marin are excellent newcomers. Santa Lucia Hiils. I live in Sonoma (moved here recently) because of my love of Pinot Noir. Some really amazing ones. More wineries to go on my list!

[rodjacobs]

I always appreciate the hard work you put into your videos and your honesty. And I also have to say often times my tastes tend to align a lot with yours. I don't 'hate' PN, but it's just not a varietal I drink a lot. Over all it's just not quite my style. I can appreciate it's a hard wine to make and that some people really love it. When I do drink it, one of my go to PN is the Sandhi from the Santa Rita Hills.

[marknelson]

Glad to see Bouchaine doing well. Years ago, I met the wine maker who brought two labels that he made the wines for both. One was his personal label, might have been the Bochaine or maybe it was the other one that I don't recall. The Bouchaine Pinot was very good but the Reisling was dry and excellent.

[laurencestewart]

Nice tasting! I always start with Carneros (Etude, Saintsbury to name a couple) and then move a bit north to Russian River Valley and Sanoma Coast. These can get a bit pricey, so always on the lookout for good value.