Loring Wine Co., Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, California, 2020

Overview of the Wine
My name is Brian Loring and my obsession is Pinot Noir. OK, I'm also pretty crazy about Champagne, but that's another story. While in college, I worked at a wine shop in Hollywood (Victor's), where one of the owners was a Burgundy fanatic. So, my very first experiences with Pinot Noir were from producers like Domaine Dujac, Henri Jayer, and DRC. Needless to say, I found subsequent tasting safaris into the domestic Pinot Noir jungle less than satisfying. It wasn't until I literally stumbled into Calera (I tripped over a case of their wine in the store room) that I found a California Pinot Noir that I could love. But it would be quite a while before I found someone else that lived up to the standard that Josh Jensen had established. I eventually came to understand and enjoy Pinots from Williams Selyem, Chalone, and Sanford, but I really got excited about California Pinot Noir when I met Norm Beko from Cottonwood Canyon at an Orange County Wine Society tasting.

My philosophy is that what happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine. Great grapes picked at the right time plus no screw-ups in the winery equals good wine. Rather than try to describe what happens in the vineyard myself, I'll instead refer you to one of my sources of killer Pinot, Wes Hagen at Clos Pepe Vineyard.

When it's time to pick, I'm right there in the vineyard with the pickers, sorting through the clusters as they're dumped into the bins. I try to remove any "bad" looking fruit and as many leaves as possible. It's impossible to be perfect, since we're often picking before dawn and the pickers move very fast! But not to fear... there's another chance to sort a bit later.

Grape / Blend
Pinot Noir

Origin
Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Deep ruby color; deep, earthy plum and cherry aromas with herbal notes; full, rich plum flavors with savory spice and pepper notes; some oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Earthy, complex Pinot that's drinking nicely now.

Product size: 750ml