Gainey Pinot Noir

Gainey Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2012: From four generations of Gaineys comes this ruby red-colored, raspberry-scented sipper from the Sta. Rita Hills, where the family owns a vineyard in addition to their home ranch adjacent to the Santa Ynez Airport.

Like many of the emerging 2012s, there is a bitter tension at the core of this wine, briefly flirting with red fruit before drawing you toward more tannic elements of anise and beet juice. Whether that’s due to an industry-wide fascination with picking barely ripe fruit or an emblematic sign of the abundant vintage remains to be seen, but it’s interesting drinking no matter what.

See GaineyVineyard.com or head up to 3950 East Highway 246 for a tasting.