Richard Sanford, of the eponymous Sanford and Benedict vyd and Sanford
winery, has long been a favorite PN producer of Jean's. So, when I
recently received an email selling wines from Sanford's latest winery --
Alma Rosa in SLO -- for a very attractive price, I gave it a whirl.
Today, our 3 bottles arrived, so we opened one with a dinner of seared
duck breasts with roasted acorn squash and the last green beans of the
season:

2006 Alma Rosa "La Encantada Vineyard" Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills)
nose: initially, pencil lead, spice, black raspberry and black currant,
becoming redder and smokier with a hint of butterscotch
palate: initially, tight with firm acids, medium body and fine tannins;
later, opening up, becoming softer, more cherryish

When I looked into this wine, I discovered a likely source for its steep
discounting: it got an 88 from some publication (shock, horror!). When
I first opened it up -- twisting off the screwcap, hooray! -- and
smelled it I thought "Oh, no! Another Central Coast Syrah wannabe."
Thankfully, our faith in Richard Sanford's winemaking philosophy wasn't
misplaced. Despite the dark, brooding nature of the wine at first, it
was light on its feet (13.9% ABV) and had good structure. In many ways,
it reminded me of a young Burgundy. Later, it became much more
typically Californian in nature, but still retained its light character.
I feel that this wine will benefit from a few years in the cellar. The
oak was used very delicately and didn't seem obstrusive at all. The
back label also explains that the winery pursues sustainable farming
practices. All in all, a very satisfying CA Pinot Noir for a very
reasonable price ($19.99).

Mark Lipton
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