Very recently I was notified that a Sonoma winery had registered for the 13th Annual LA WineFest. Problem was I had never tasted the wines. So, I called their office in Calistoga and eventually located Tatiana Tomain in Florida on her way back from Brazil. She spends a lot of her time there selling them wine, but is also a partner with Seth Cripe, a well-known winemaker. From this beginning contact, she worked her way from tastings in Pasadena and Toluca Lake CA and there to me.
Second came a 2016 Rose of Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast, 12.8% alcohol. Probably under 2000 cases, made a lot of fruit on the palate – cherries, raspberries on the nose, maybe spice and tropical fruit. This was not a heavy wine, was approachable, had a good finish, and I thought it could be a good food wine.
The third wine poured was a Lola Pinot Noir, North Coast 2016, alcohol 13.4%. The wine, from the Russian River had veggie on the nose, and a strong garnet color. The nose opened to black cherry, other berries, and a rich texture. I thought this was a big wine, notwithstanding the alcohol content, and the hint of pepper on the palate I would drink this sample with lamb chops on a kabob and enjoy the mixture.
So, yes, I guess this is a complicated wine, perhaps because of the strong French Oak influence — 100% the first years, 20% the second. Released in 2014, you can enjoy this to 2020-2022. Balanced tannic, favorable tannic structure, good finish. My favorite of the trio.
