By: Ryan Woodhouse
8/28/2020
K&L Staff Member
The Varner wines have been longtime favorites for us at K&L. Their original Spring Ridge Vineyard is just up the road from our Redwood City store and brother's Jim and Bob Varner are frequent customers (though it's always tricky to know just which one you're chatting with as they're identical twins)! More recently they've shifted focus to Santa Barbara and some beautiful cool climate sites in that area are well suited to their house style. The 2015 Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir is from a historic site long hailed as one of the best in region by iconic producers such as Chanin, Au Bon Climat and Ojai. The mature, hillside vines produce complex fruit, this bottling is mostly Pommard Clone with a dash of 777. The wine is very elegant and refined. Mid-weight and quite translucent in the glass, but packed with flavor and depth. Dusty red berries, sandalwood, baking spice and just as Wine Advocate reviewer Erin Brooks notes, the finish has a fascinating Amaro like alpine herb component that goes on and on. A super food friendly wine, I had mine with roast chicken and it was perfect. Thanks to our close relationship with Varner we did a great deal on the last of the 2015 and we're passing those savings on to you. This is a great bottle of Pinot that is drinking beautifully and selling for a song.