1997 Talley Rincon Vineyard Pinot Noir

Talley Vineyards is a 177-acre estate in the southern part of San Luis Obispo County, on the Central California Coast. The family-run winery produced its first commercial vintage in 1986, but the Talley family has been involved in agriculture in the area since 1948, when Oliver Talley founded Talley Farms and started growing vegetables. Oliver’s son Don planted the family’s first wine grapes in 1982 and a state-of-the-art winery was completed in 1991. Today the third generation of the family is part of the business. Talley Vineyards produces 30,000 cases annually and most of it is Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Talley wines earn glowing reviews and Wine Advocate has noted that “Talley remains one of the great estates in California that has yet to be fully discovered.”

Arroyo Grande Valley AVA is a 42,880-acre appellation within the Central Coast AVA. The appellation surrounds the town of Arroyo Grande, and is located southwest of San Luis Obispo. Located within four miles of the Pacific Ocean, the 16-mile long valley includes several microclimates, such a cooler lower one on the west end, where Pinot Noir is grown, and a higher, hotter microclimate inland, where Zinfandel thrives. Arroyo Grande was officially recognized as an AVA in 1990. Many grapes are grown here, including Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Tempranillo. Like most of the Central Coast, this AVA has a long tradition of farming. Most of the ever-growing number of wineries here have sprung up in the last 30 years and they tend to focus on Rhone varietals.

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.