A highlight of the weekend, and trust me there were many highlights, was opening a bottle of Laetitia Pinot. Now I don’t know about you but I loves my Pinot. I wasn’t a huge fan until my friend and client Keli Vice really introduced me to some amazing bottles of Pinot Noir when I worked as a strategist with Beam Wine Estates (formerly Allied Domecq). Keli was the head of the online marketing group. Think cork dork, and really cute.

Anyway, she helped with my wine vocabulary, and even made sure I attended a few courses, both food and wine over at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and from that I found my appreciation and respect for the subtleties of Pinot Noir.

So I open this bottle of the 2006 Laetitia Pinot and right away I get a sniff of the exceptional bouquet, which some people call “nose”. Red and black fruits punctuated by raspberries are what register right from the top, and while I really just want to tip this bottle into the glass and hoist away, I relax, and settle back to enjoy a little bit of heaven. This Central Coast wine is an exceptional example of why my backyard continues to hold its own against the better known wine regions of California.

You can pretty much pull out the wine book and look for all the cool phrases. Well balanced. Round. Subtly quiet yet aggressively complex. Hints of jam and acid. Completely accessible while remaining reserved and sophisticated. And of course all of this is very true. But in a phrase I would say this wine is a joy to drink!

As the night got older, and the wine opened up, notes of black tea, or maybe cinnamon, but definitely a nice spice overlay crept though the wine. I would use this Pinot as a great example of what is meant when you call a wine layered. Its characteristics tend to mature as it breathes, and becomes very full and round near the end of the bottle. It is without a doubt a wonderful find at the market, and can many times be purchased on sale.

If you so inclined, and are in the Central Coast, drop me a line and we can go tour the vineyards. You may also want to review their wineclub offerings online if you don’t have a chance to visit. You won’t be disappointed in any of their wines, many of which end up on the wine lists of our better local restaurants.