"sonoma pinot noir" news and stories

The Sonoma Coast of California is a lovely place to visit. Cool, salty breezes come from the Pacific Ocean just a few miles away, and every restaurant has locally sourced food on its menu, from Dungeness crabs (currently in season) to Cowgirl Creamery cheeses.

The wines coming out of this cool-climate growing region -- which boasts a long, stable growing season -- are just as memorable. Those cool, coastal fogs introduce an earthy element to all of the region's wines, especially Pinot Noir.

After the jump, our four favorite Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs from a recent tasting.

We all saw Sideways -- heck, to some of us, it's not just a movie, it's a manifesto. So we know that we're supposed to admire Pinot Noir and barely tolerate Merlot (it's not the demon grape it's made out to be).

The folks at Castle Rock winery are contributing to the dialog on Pinot Noir, and they put their answer in bottles.

Castle Rock currently bottles juice from seven species of grape, each chosen by informed vintner magic from its own West Coast microclimate with the appellation noted on the bottle.

Thus Castle Rock Chardonnay drinkers are choosing bottles from either the Russian River Valley or the Central Coast, Syrah drinkers choosing between Columbia Valley and Sonoma, and so forth.

In the wine as in the geography, the star grape is Pinot Noir, which for the 2007 vintage offers bottles from eight appellations. Some are easy to come by and some are selling out, and I can't pretend to have tried all eight (though I'm working my way through the list).

But I can pass along a few notes on those I have tried, which perhaps will inspire you to consider these sturdy, poetic Pinots the next time you're looking for a bottle to open with dinner.

My suggestions after the jump.