Ghostwriter owner/winemaker Kenny Likitprakong is a beast. An experienced vineyard master and a diversely gifted wizard in the cellar, I challenge you to name anyone in California bottling a broader and more consistently delicious arsenal of fairly priced, eco-friendly and truly hand-crafted wines. This guy can do it all: mountain Cabernet; juicy Rhône-style reds; mouthwatering Chenin Blanc; soulful barrel-fermented Chardonnay. If you have a favorite style of wine, Kenny’s interpretation is probably being poured at the hottest new restaurant in your area. Still, this is not about Kenny’s wines “having a moment” with hipsters. It’s almost the opposite. Kenny’s success is built upon years of digging in the trenches, a workmanlike approach to winemaking, and his dogged insistence that wines remain available to everyone at an extremely reasonable price.

Kenny isn’t just a great winemaker, though—he’s a great person. Two weekends ago, I saw on social media that he and his family were hosting a fundraiser to build schools for refugee children from war-torn countries. They opened their cellar doors and brought together local chefs, rock bands, breweries, and a small army of volunteers, all who donated a wealth of time and resources. He doesn’t do this stuff for PR value, though. It’s clear the event was an earnest, all-hands-on-deck, bootstrapped deal with a lean operating budget that sent every last dollar to the kids. I’ve never seen Kenny hobnobbing in Napa or climbing the social ladder at society events, but he’s hosted multiple fundraisers and there always seems to be a case of his wine at local charity auctions. This guy has his priorities straight and that’s something to which we can all raise a glass.

Now we’re featuring Kenny’s 2014 Ghostwriter Pinot Noir. I love this wine. It would be an outstanding Pinot for twice the price, but at $32 it just can’t be beat. Especially after a year of coalescing in the bottle, this wine is singing. This 2014 Santa Cruz County cuvée originates from a small collection of tiny, organically-farmed vineyards Kenny works by hand in the hills around the foggy coastal town of Santa Cruz. The nose is a perfect synopsis of Kenny’s unique brand of mountain Pinot Noir: There is the energy and tension of Burgundy and ample red fruit, but everything is carefully positioned over a dense sublayer of darker, mineral black cherry/blackberry and forest notes. Redwood bark, cut flowers, wild mushrooms and fresh soil lurk in the background. Think old-school 1980’s Oregon Pinot Noir meets Nuits-Saint-Georges. If this is the direction in which California Pinot Noir is headed, the future is very bright. Please decant this beauty for 30 minutes and serve at 60 degrees in large Burgundy stems. I’ve enjoyed a few older bottles of Kenny’s Pinot Noir recently and can attest to their impressive ageability. The list of California Pinot Noirs that actually improve with time (versus merely “surviving”) is short, but this wine belongs on it. I can’t wait to see what it becomes in a few more years, but for now, I’m going to enjoy it alongside some simply prepared grilled salmon. I’m an avowed Burgundy hound, but this one’s got me feeling patriotic. Enjoy!