2021 PINOT NOIR, Grace Bridge. California

A blend of Pinot from Monterey County and Sonoma County, all matured in 225 litre oak barrels (no new wood).

Pinot Noir blended (unusally) with a tiny percentage (around 3% each) of Alicante Bouschet and Syrah.

From Scotto Cellars – a large but family-owned producer, now run by a fifth generation of vine-growers, based in Lodi in the Central Valley.

California has for years been able to produce the cheap and dull or the fine but expensive. In the last 2 years that has changed and real effort is being made in the all-important middle ground. This is soft, supple, charming Pinot Noir at a sensible price point.

The 2013 was Jancis Robinson’s “Wine of the Week”, in March 2017 –
“There’s something of a fashion to find the most rare and unusual wine styles these days – the more obscure and arcane, the better. But forget Nascetta from Langhe or Humagne from the Valais, the most rare wine in the world is good, proper Pinot Noir for under £15 a bottle – that’s the real holy grail.
I scored the 2013 vintage 17 out of 20 and described the flavours as cranberry, cinnamon and some herbal character that may be due to a proportion of whole-bunch fermentation. It has the typically ripe fruit of California but avoids being confected or sickly.”