Windy Oaks Estate
Santa Cruz Mountains "Terra Narro" Pinot Noir
2007
We love Windy Oaks. They make our favorite American Pinot, and we're even wine club members. So it's surprising we haven't written about them yet. Tonight, we start.
"Terra Narro" is billed as Windy Oaks's "Wednesday Night Wine," because at $23 (wine club price), it's on the low end of their scale. But it doesn't drink cheap. It's been aged 16 months in 40% new French oak, and offers a perfumy, rosy nose. On the palate it's unbelievably velvety, like running your hand over cool moss. It has some of the fresh tomato we associate with Pinot, plus plenty of bright fruit, but something darker, too, more sensual and grounding. Intoxicating, in more ways than one.
Price: $23 (wine club price; regular price about $29)
