The leaps and bounds *Edna Valley Pinot* has taken in the past decade is astonishing. From Carneros-clone chubby also-rans for the sweet-tooth mainstream I rolled my eyes at in the past, now several producers are making stuff us pinot-freaks can get excited about. Everything from La Lomita is exciting, and the pinot is no exception. Thin ruby in the glass, a nose vulgar and spicy, the dirt and funk expemplary and true to varietal. But still, a deep rich thread of cherry and plummy goodness expands upon delirious earthiness. Such is Edna Valley.
In the mouth, peppery angst rises up to meet perfectly sweet cherubic goodness, a bitter pill for the 99 to swallow, but here it shines with gorgeous aplomb. Oaky goodness belies peat and brittle pith, nothing out-of-place and everywhere: sumptuous extravagance one part Jolly Rancher and another Beaujolais vivre. Meaty and dense, while beautifully thin and fruity, a beautiful wine I’d love to taste in 10 years.
2021 LA LOMITA Pinot Noir Islay Hill Vyd Edna Valley San Luis Obispo Co. 13.5
Stephen McConnell 