Buena Vista Carneros Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2021

Buena Vista is California's first premium winery, founded in 1857, but this is the bottle that earns the history. Carneros sits at the cool southern tip of Sonoma, where fog and bay breezes draw out a long, slow ripening - the conditions that let Pinot Noir keep its lift and perfume rather than turning heavy. The fruit is hand-picked at night to lock in freshness, fermented in small batches and aged under a year in mostly older oak, so the wine stays bright and red-fruited rather than oaky. The result is a silky, medium-bodied Pinot with the savoury, tea-leaf edge that makes good Carneros fruit drink so much like red Burgundy. In the glass it's pale and perfumed - red cherry, raspberry and a whisper of spice, supple and fresh, with a long, lifted finish. Serve lightly chilled, around 14-16°C.