2021 Red Stitch Pinot Noir, Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, California (750ml)   

About the Icons
Red Stitch is a joint effort of Rich Aurelia (SF Giants) and Dave Roberts (Manager of the LA Dodgers). We are often cynical when approached by wineries with a celebrity tie-in because the wines too often seem to trade more on the fame than actual quality, but Red Stitch is a notable exception. The wines are first rate in every way.

This is a richer style of Pinot Noir, which is often the case both for the Santa Lucia Highlands generally, and for Rosella Vineyard specifically. If you are hazy about exactly where Santa Lucia Highlands is found, drive highway 101 south through the Salinas Valley of Monterey County. As you pass acre upon acre of vegetable fields on either side of the highway, look to your right and up to the many alluvial fans descending from the mountains of the Santa Lucia Range. Those are the Highlands, and they have proven ideal for Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay. While the valley floor remains the "salad bowl" of the US, it is those benchlands above the valley floor that produce great wine. Look to the east and up, your left, along that same drive as you pass Soledad, and you are gazing up to the Chalone Bench, another fine area for Pinot Noir.