Big enough for lamb, restrained enough for mahi mahi — this is one serious contender for terroir-defining Santa Cruz Mountains appellation pinot noir. After an initial wave of cola and spice, primarily cloves, this sumptuous wine offers a dark finish that goes into a subterranean realm of black velvet shot through with roses and ultraviolet.
After a half hour or so, the wine resolves into a midnight edition of moist earth, plum and tamarind. In other words, you will have sampled a deep slice of the region translated through the pinot noir grape. Contact Wines of Vine Hill for details about how you can order bottle for yourself – if there are any left. And kudos to Cumbre winemaker Salvador Godinez.
