The Bold, Brave New World of California Pinot Noir

Wine tasting in Milwaukee on Thursday, January 9, 6 to 7:30 pm.

Pinot Noir – the “Heartbreak Grape.” So named by vintners because of it’s incredibly difficult to grow and vinify, and further, to get a wine market obsessed with BIG wines like Cabernet to appreciate it alluring seductiveness.

But that all changed in the last months of 2004, which saw the release of Sideways. It featured picturesque vistas of California wine country and a wine-besotted protagonist poetically waxing on the beauty of the grape. Sideways practically made the grape and its Sunshine State appellations leap into the hearts and souls of America’s oenological consciousness. Today, California annually crushes more than 250,000 tons of Pinot Noir. In 1990, that number was just 32,000 tons.

At this tasting, we’ll journey through the past 50 years of California Pinot Noir history. We’ll explore major Pinot Noir appellations like Sonoma County, Carneros, Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Lucia Highlands. And we’ll show you how a new wave of California winemakers is making the most exciting Pinot Noirs found anywhere in the world.

Wines to be tasted:

2014 Domaine Anderson Pinot Noir $50

2016 Talley Estate Arroyo Grande Pinot Noir $42

2017 Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir $30

2016 Truchard Estate Carneros Pinot Noir $35

2016 En Route Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $50

2015 Flanagan Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $80

2016 Liquid Farm Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir $64

2017 Sandhi Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir $36

All wines will have a substantial discount this night only! And there will be a bonus wine for those who arrive before 6 pm.