The 2009 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands takes shape beautifully in the glass. Sweet red berries, flowers and spices are some of the notes that flow from this pretty, approachable Pinot. The Santa Lucia Highlands is bottled under screwcap, so my drinking window is on the conservative side. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Husband and wife team Adam Lee and Dianna Novy make some of the most compelling wines in the Central Coast. The Siduri label focuses on Pinot Noir, while the Novy label (Dianna’s maiden name) is used for all other varieties. The strengths are the Pinots from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Another strength is the regional Pinots, which are also some of the finest values readers will find in American Pinot Noir (and Syrah under Novy). The single-vineyard designates are the best barrels from each site, while barrels that don’t make the cut go into the straight Santa Lucia Highlands and the Santa Rita Hills bottlings, a pretty straightforward approach. The only thing is that sometimes blended wines can be greater than the sum of their individual parts, which is why this approach is still used by a small number of traditionally minded producers in regions such as Piedmont and the Rhone. The Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills Pinots are without question the wines that offer the biggest bang for the buck here. The other wines are more variable across both labels, especially as one moves away from the Santa Lucia Highlands. I tasted the 2010s from tank, where the wines were awaiting imminent bottling, plus a selection of 2009s from bottle. The 2010s are the product of an unusual vintage. Vintage 2010 was, on average, a cool growing season with some heat spikes towards the end of the maturation cycle. These conditions resulted in wines with both higher sugars and acidities relative to the 2009s. Vintage 2009 was much more consistent across the board. The harvest took place between September 7 and October 12. Adam Lee reports he had more physiological ripeness in 2009 than in most years and was therefore able to use more whole clusters than in any year since 2005. Tel. (707) 578-3882; www.siduri.com

Firm and well-structured, with a complex band of wild berry and blackberry, spice and floral notes. Full-bodied, gaining depth, richness and nuance, this ends with a return to the berry medley on the finish. Drink now through 2018. 1,855 cases made.??–JL??Region: California / Santa Lucia Highlands Select to Add

Young, fresh and vibrant, Just what you’d want a generic Santa Lucia Pinot to be, with full-bodied tannins and potent cherry, currant, mushu plum sauce and dusty spice flavors. Drink this dry wine now.——S.H.(6/1/2011)—— 88