Beautiful Pinot from Rideau Vineyards

Sometimes a wine is just so lovely you want to share the news it with all of your friends; so I am spreading the word via this blog post. We recently received a bottle of 2012 Rideau Pinot Noir -- John Sebastiano Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, and we were stunned by its generous flavors, elegance and structure.

Our cellar is mostly Rhones, but I was just in a Pinot kind of mood. Sometimes the wine you get in a club shipment feels "free"-- you paid for it at some other time, you didn't know what you were going to get -- so you just try it our without any fanfare. Our meal was simple, roast chicken, green beans, and a little dollop of leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. I just grabbed the bottle and said, "Let's give it a whirl".

From the first sip, it elevated that simple meal up to unknown levels The softness of the wine on the palate didn't overwhelm the chicken, the sweet spices and herbs on its solid finish held up against the tang of the cranberry sauce. The rose petal on the nose made me slow down and savor this wine throughout the evening.

Our tour always ends with tasting and lunch at Rideau. Although our tour (and Rideau) focus a lot on Rhone varietals, a lot of our riders have that interest in the famous Santa Barbara Pinots (particularly those in Santa Rita Hills). I believe the production on this single vineyard is relatively small, and may not be featured in the tasting room. But if you join us on the tour and would like to take home a world class Pinot Noir, keep in mind the 2012 Rideau from John Sebastiano Vineyard. You won't be disappointed.