2006 PINOT NOIR CLOS PEPE
Santa Maria Valley

My! This drinks well now. So poised and down right regal, yet utterly delicious in a young fresh way. Of all the pinots we make, this is the one that many people don't quite get because it possesses a subtlety and finess that is easily overlooked. In its delicate way this wine is alive and bursting with berries and flowers, but without being light or insignificant. It is much like the 2005 that I am so fond of, yet a bit more intensely flavored and higher in acidity.

I like that its inherent quality sneaks up on you, rather than hitting you on the head. In my book this is a real success-and it points out where we, as a winery, are going. By picking a little earlier we are capturing the more savory aspects of pinot-its zippy acidity and quenching tannins-along with the more floral aromatic aspects that are lost with greater ripeness.