A little love for Santa Lucia Highlands

Santa Lucia Highlands sometimes flies under the radar in discussions of great Pinot Noir regions in California.   Its defining features include cool morning fog from the Monterey Bay; high elevations nestled against the Santa Lucia Mountains; sandy and gravelly loam soils; and warm days of generous sun.

If there's a criticism of the region for Pinot Noir it's that it sometimes features prominently that style of Cali Pinot Noir derided by some for over-ripeness and overly dark fruit in the profile. My recent experience shows that those critics may not be looking hard enough.

2010 Morgan Pinot Noir, Twelve Clones, Santa Lucia Highlands is a good example of a pretty and varietally  true Pinot Noir drinking very well in its youth. It is a vineyard and clonal blend aged in barrel for a modest 10 month (36% new French). At under $30 it shows nice red fruit and brambly spice and perfume with balance and decent depth and length. I'd recommend it for an early drinker.

And if you don't mind a little shilling- I also opened a bottle of 2007 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (disclaimer- I work for Arcadian) over the weekend with dinner at The Shed in Atlanta. Of all of Arcadian's 2007 Pinot Noir bottlings, this one is primed for young consumption with its nice rounded fruit notes and underlying spice & perfume. It's balanced and has the stuffing to age, but it's nice and round for the present. I enjoyed it with cane-marinated duck breast.