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Betwixt, “Lester Vineyard” Pinot Noir

California, United States 2017 (750mL)
$36.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Betwixt, “Lester Vineyard” Pinot Noir

It may be cliché to say that great wine is made in the vineyard, but that doesn’t make it less true. Case in point is Betwixt: Tim Telli makes his wines in the Mission District of San Francisco, using fruit sourced from very far-flung terroirs. This isn’t the “estate,” or “château,” model for making wine. This is the itinerant, “contract-grower” model, which, when you look at Tim’s lineup, must put some serious mileage on his car: In the past, we’ve offered a Betwixt Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley, as well as a rosé from Mokelumne River, Lodi—sites that are a good 200 miles apart! Our latest discovery is today’s vibrant, beautifully perfumed Pinot Noir from the famed Lester Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The site is already well-represented not only by its Lester Family wines but by vineyard-designate bottlings from the estimable Big Basin, so Telli joins some elite company—and doesn’t miss a beat. Perfume, tension, and the brambly fruit character of the Santa Cruz Mountains is all there, at an incredible price to boot. Whenever I encounter a domestic Pinot Noir that transports me to Burgundy the way this one does, I grab every bottle I can—although in this case it didn’t amount to much, as only 100 cases were produced. I continue to marvel at how inexpensive this wine is, and how undervalued Santa Cruz Mountain wine continues to be given its proven greatness. If you didn’t make a new year’s resolution, I’ve got one for you: Drink more Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot Noir!
You won’t need much prodding after tasting this 2017, I can assure you of that: It has the kind of live-wire structure most often found in Pinot Noirs in Burgundy, combined with a level of fruit concentration only the upper-shelf Burgundies can achieve. In fact, while many regions of California can trumpet their “cool climate” credentials—Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Santa Rita Hills—Santa Cruz has perhaps the deepest Pinot Noir tradition of them all. Paul Masson came to the area from Burgundy in the late-1800s, armed with vine-cuttings from his home region, and his work was continued by the likes of Martin Ray and, later, David Bruce, a Pinot pioneer of the modern era (not to mention an accomplished Chardonnay-maker whose wine was part of the “Paris Tasting” of 1976). 

The Lester Family Vineyard is tucked amid towering redwoods in Corralitos, this undulating 14-acre expanse of vines sits at an elevation of 600 feet. The site is stunning—gorgeous to the eye, and the grapes are happy, too. Only five miles from Monterey Bay—one of the deepest, and therefore coldest, bays in the world—the vineyard thrives in soils of sandy loam. Working with owner Dan Lester, award-winning viticulturist Prudy Foxx planted the site to Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay back in 1999, eschewing herbicides and other chemical treatments. Foxx is a well-loved figure in Santa Cruz wine circles, and, given the acclaim the Lester Family and Big Basin wines have received, it was quite a coup for a small producer like Tim Telli to secure some fruit from Lester Vineyard for himself. 

Then again, Telli, as we’ve mentioned, has remarkable instincts for such standout terroir. Originally from West Sussex, England, Telli had felt the allure of winemaking well before moving out to California but said it was “all over” once he got a job in wine retail. After learning all he could about the bottles in the shop, he began pitching in with grape harvests, then inevitably fell headlong into the winemaking rabbit hole. He honed his skills at August West and ROAR before striking out on his own to launch Betwixt in 2012. Soon after, Betwixt caught Robert Parker’s attention, and the wines have steadily gained a following. That includes us, of course! 

Like all Telli’s wines, the 2017 Lester Vineyard Pinot is crafted with a minimalist approach. The fruit was harvested in late September, then cold-soaked for a week before a native fermentation. After a gentle pressing, the wine was aged 17 months in 50% new French oak with no racking until bottling, and with no fining or filtering. The result is a vibrant, pale ruby-red wine packed with flavor and texture. Aromas of bright strawberry blossom, savory thyme, and faint sea breeze lead the way. The palate delivers a devastating kiss of black cherry, rhubarb, and dense forest floor. This wine is drinking beautifully now but has the potential to age 5-10 years if kept well. Ideally, pull the cork a half hour before serving at 60-65 degrees in large Burgundy stems. As for pairings, invite the lively acidity of this classic coastal Pinot Noir to balance a rich preparation of duck or salmon, or try the light, earthy wild rice salad recipe attached. Enjoy!
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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesSanta Cruz Mountains
Soil
Sandy Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
13.9
OAK
50% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2027+
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Wild Rice Salad w/ Butternut Squash & Cherries

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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