2019 Landmark Escolle Road Vineyard Pinot Noir

Landmark Vineyards was founded in 1974 in Windsor by Bill Mabry and his family. In 1989 one of its investors, Damaris Deere Ethridge, took control of the estate and relocated it to Sonoma Valley. Deere Ethridge managed the estate and hired consulting winemaker Helen Turley and winemaker Eric Stern to improve the wines. The estate soon became noted for its Chardonnays. In 2011 the estate was sold to Roll Global, parent company of Fiji Water. Landmark has an 11-acre vineyard but sources most of its grapes from highly-regarded vineyards in Sonoma, Carneros, the Russian River Valley and Santa Barbara County. Landmark makes Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Syrah.

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is a 12-mile long, narrow strip of an appellation wedged along the eastern hillsides of the Santa Lucia mountain range. Given its proximity to Big Sur and the Gabilan Mountain Range to the northeast, Santa Lucia a cool-climate wine growing district. Morning sun is often followed by maritime winds and fog in the afternoon, a weather pattern that prolongs the growing season and means long, gentle ripening of the grapes. Spanish missionaries planted vineyards in the district in the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that modern winemakers planted vineyards and began making high quality wine. The district received AVA status in 1991 and today there are 6,000 vineyard acres in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pinot Noir is the dominant grape planted, followed by Chardonnay and Riesling.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.