Are you on a quest for awesome Pinot Noir? We had a wonderful time at the 16th annual World of Pinot Noir (WOPN) last month, a stellar lineup of seminars, tasting events, and winemaker dinners held at the beautiful Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara. We found some phenomenal Pinot Noirs over the weekend so we thought we’d offer recommendations for wines and wineries in case you wanted to plan a wine tasting trip (or 2) of your own.
For us, the highlight is always attending the Pinot Noir Grand Tastings showcasing over 200 wineries from around the world. Each year, we have the opportunity to taste wines from some old friends (Alma Rosa, Bergström, Inman Family, Merry Edwards, and Stephen Ross) as we seek out new discoveries (at least, to us). Our new favorites at this year’s WOPN included Domaine GILLE, JCR Vineyard and Spell Estate.
Keep reading and we’ll tell you our favorite wines at this year’s World of Pinot Noir in case you are interested in finding some new awesome Pinot Noir wines for yourself.
Favorite Wines at the 2016 World of Pinot Noir
We tasted many phenomenal Pinot Noirs at this year’s World of Pinot Noir and we encourage you to consider visiting the wineries listed below and/or look for these wines in your local wine stores, restaurants or online. To make trip-planning easier, we’ve broken down our recommendations geographically.
Awesome Pinot Noirs from Southern California wineries:
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards (Buellton, CA) – 2013 Sta. Rita Hills, 2013 Mount Eden Clone (El Jabalí Vineyard), 2013 Clone 115 and 2013 Barrel Select Pinot Noirs
Au Bon Climat (Santa Maria, CA) – 2012 Santa Maria Valley La Bauge Audessus and 2012 “Isabelle” Pinot Noirs
Brewer-Clifton (Lompoc, CA) – 2011 3-D Pinot Noir
Ca’ Del Grevino Estate Vineyards (Santa Maria, CA) – 2013 Grevino Pinot Noir Estate, 2013 Ca’ Del Grevino Pinot Noir Reserve
Côtiére (Santa Maria, CA) – 2013 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir
Drake Wines (Santa Barbara, CA) – 2013 Bien Nacido Vineyard and 2014 Spanish Springs Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Fess Parker Winery (Los Olivos, CA) – 2013 Ashley’s Pinot Noir
Fiddlehead Cellars (Lompoc, CA) – 2012 “728” and 2011 Lollapalooza Pinot Noirs
Gainey Vineyard (Santa Ynez, CA) – 2013 Limited Selection Pinot Noir
JCR Vineyard (Lompoc, CA) – 2012 Pommard 5 and 2013 Pommard 5 Pinot Noirs
Ken Brown Wines (Buellton, CA) – 2013 Rita’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir
Melville Winery (Lompoc, CA) – 2013 Estate Pinot Noir
Presqu’ile Winery (Santa Maria, CA) – 2013 Presqu’ile Vineyard Pinot Noir
TIMBRE Winery (formerly La Fenêtre) (Santa Maria, CA) – 2013 Guest Star and 2013 The Headliner Pinot Noirs
Awesome Pinot Noirs from Central California wineries:
Bernardus Winery (Carmel Valley, CA) – 2013 Ingrid’s Vineyard Pinot Noir
Chamisal Vineyards (San Luis Obispo, CA) – 2014 Edna Valley Estate and 2011 Califa Pinot Noirs
Deovlet Wines (San Luis Obispo, CA) – 2013 John Sebastiano Vineyard and 2013 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Kynsi Winery (Arroyo Grande, CA) – 2013 Estate Stone Corral Vineyard Pinot Noir
Morgan Winery (Carmel Valley, CA) – 2014 Twelve Clones and 2014 Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Stephen Ross Wine Cellars (San Luis Obispo, CA) – 2014 Bien Nacido Vineyard and 2013 Stone Corral Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Talley Vineyards (Arroyo Grande, CA) – 2013 Rincon Vineyard Pinot Noir
Awesome Pinot Noirs from Northern California wineries:
Ancien Wines (Napa, CA) – 2013 Fiddlestix Vineyard (Sta. Rita Hills), 2013 Jouissance (Russian River Valley), 2013 Mink Vineyard (Coombsville) and 2013 Toxon Farm (Carneros) Pinot Noirs
Balletto Vineyards (Sebastopol, CA) – 2014 BCD Vineyard Pinot Noir
Benziger Family Winery (Glen Ellen, CA) – 2015 de Coelo Rosé, 2013 de Coelo Quintus and 2013 de Coelo Arbore Sacra Pinot Noirs
Bouchaine Vineyards (Napa, CA) – 2014 Gee Vineyard, 2013 Gee Vineyard and 2011 Carneros Pinot Noirs
Copain Wines (Healdsburg, CA) – 2015 Les Voisins Rosé and 2013 “Solstice” Pinot Noir
Davis Bynum Winery (Healdsburg, CA) – 2014 Jane’s Vineyard Pinot Noir
DeLoach Vineyards (Santa Rosa, CA) – 2013 OFS (Our Finest Selection) Pinot Noir
Flanagan Wines (Windsor, CA) – 2014 Pinot Noir
Flowers Vineyard & Winery (Cazadero, CA) – 2010 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir
Fog Crest Vineyard (Sebastopol, CA) – 2014 Upper Block Estate Pinot Noir
Freeman Winery (Sebastopol, CA) – 2014 Keefer Ranch, 2014 Gloria Estate and 2013 Akiko’s Cuvée Pinot Noirs
Inman Family Wines (Santa Rosa, CA) – 2013 Sexton Road Ranch, 2012 Thorne Ridge Ranch and 2012 OGV Estate Pinot Noirs
Joseph Phelps Vineyards (St. Helena, CA) – 2013 Freestone Vineyards Pinot Noir
Merry Edwards Winery (Sebastopol, CA) – 2013 Meredith Estate and 2013 Klopp Ranch Pinot Noirs
Rubin Family Vineyards and Winery (Sebastopol, CA) – 2013 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Saintsbury (Napa, CA) – 2014 Stanly Ranch and 2014 Donnelly Creek Pinot Noirs
Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards (Windsor, CA) – 2013 Owlsley Vineyard Pinot Noir
Spell Estate (Santa Rosa, CA) – 2013 Umino Vineyard, 2013 Weir Vineyard and 2012 Marimar Estate Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Talisman Wines (Glen Ellen, CA) – 2012 Weir Vineyard and 2012 Red Dog Vineyard Pinot Noirs
Trombetta Family Wines (Forestville, CA) – 2013 Gap’s Crown Vineyard and 2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs
Wayfarer Vineyard (Sebastopol, CA) – 2013 Wayfarer Vineyard and 2013 Golden Mean Pinot Noirs
Other Awesome Pinot Noirs (at the 2016 WOPN):
Bergström Wines (Newberg, OR) – 2014 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir
Patricia Green Cellars (Newberg, OR) – 2014 Estate Vineyard, Old Vine and 2013 Estate Vineyard, Etzel Block Pinot Noirs
Domaine GILLE (Burgundy, France) – 2012 Cote de Nuits-Villages, 2012 Nuits-Sant-Georges and 2010 Corton Les Renardes Pinot Noirs
Food Highlights at the 2016 World of Pinot Noir
While wines were definitely the focus at the World of Pinot Noir Grand Tastings, we also enjoyed the passed Hors D’oeuvres and various small bites from the host hotel, Bacara Resort & Spa. We particularly enjoyed a selection of grilled vegetables including Asparagus, Carrots, Eggplant and Zucchini.
The WOPN Grand Tasting purveyors also included the delightful C’est Cheese, a gourmet food store and lunch café in downtown Santa Barbara offering over 120 cheeses, 2 dozen fine cured meats, and an array of artisan food products. At the Grand Tastings, their friendly staff offered samples such as Camembert Fermier, Campo de Montalban, Chabrin, Ewephoria, Fourme d’Ambert and Prima Donna alongside their (awesome) house-made “Sweet n Spicy Nuts.” If you end up in the neighborhood, they are located at 825 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, or you can call them at 805-965-0318.
If you weren’t aware, the World of Pinot Noir is a non-profit organization whose mission is to further the knowledge and breadth of Pinot Noir through educational seminars and tastings. As usual, our gratitude goes out to WOPN’s Board of Directors, Advisory Panel, Event Coordinator, and volunteers for providing such an enjoyable experience. You really should go to their website to join their mailing list so you will receive details about next year’s event as they unfold.
Upcoming Awesome Pinot Noir Events
If you’re a Pinot Noir fan looking for another awesome Pinot Noir-centric experience, here are some events and special tasting opportunities coming up in the next few months you may to check out:
- April 16: Pinot Days Chicago (Navy Pier, Chicago, IL)
- April 17: In Pursuit of Balance (Los Angeles, CA)
- May 14: Santa Lucia Highlands Gala (Mer Soleil Winery, Salinas, CA)
- May 19-22: Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival (Anderson Valley, CA)
- June 5: Paso Pinot & Paella Festival (Templeton Community Park, Templeton, CA)
- June 18: Pinot Days San Francisco (Bespoke at Westfield, San Francisco, CA)
Personally, we’re considering some of the above ourselves but we’ve definitely marked our calendars for the first weekend of March 2017 for next year’s World of Pinot Noir.