Laetitia Estate Pinot Noir 2018
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Laetitia Estate Pinot Noir has an initial spiced cherry character, opening slowly into aromas of cedar, rose petal, tangy sarsapilla, redcurrant, and baking spices. The tannins are fine and dusty, lending a firm structure to the wine’s delicate ripeness which gently fades into a long, elegant finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Clean aromas of red cherry, dark strawberry and star anise are very familiar and classic for Central Coast Pinot Noir on the nose of this bottling. The acidity runs from the front to the back of the sip, driving through cherry pie, rosewater and light herb flavors.
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James Suckling
Aromas of strawberries, sour cherries, mushrooms and dried flowers. It’s medium-to full-bodied with ripe tannins. A juicy and fruity pinot noir with a silky texture and a flavorful finish. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wine &
Spirits -
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Enthusiast
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Connoisseurs'
Guide -
Wilfred
Wong
Since 1982, the Laetitia Vineyard & Winery has produced elegant wines that champion the exceptional character and diversity of the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA. Originally founded by an established French Champagne house, the Laetitia estate carries on in the longstanding traditions of Burgundy and Champagne with a focus on small-lot Pinot Noir and sparkling wines. Valuing legacy, balance, innovation, and sustainable practices from harvest to glass, the Laetitia team works meticulously from vintage to vintage to ensure that every bottle of Laetitia wine is as expressive as the coastal land from which it originates.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
One of the coolest growing areas in California, the Arroyo Grande Valley runs from the southwest to the northeast, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Central Coast AVA. Situated so that cold Pacific Ocean air and fog is allowed to filter into the valley, Arroyo Grande also has an incredibly long growing season. Bud break occurs in February in most years with flowering in May and harvest in late September; the area is classified as cool Mediterranean.
These weather factors combined with the soil types—continental and marine rocks, greywacke, limestone, shale and volcanic—create wines with great concentration and fresh acidity. The cooler end of the valley is perfect for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and is a good producer of sparkling wines. The warmer, more inland part of the valley is home to some of California’s oldest Zinfandel vines.