Sweet spices, flowers and slightly faded fruit are some of the notes that flow from the 2009 Pinot Noir Evelyn. There is an element of frailty that suggests this mid-weight Pinot is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. I tasted a wide range of wines from Tantara, including a whopping 12 different Pinots. I can certainly understand the appeal of vinifying small lots of fruit from a large number of top sites in the Central Coast, but it must be a huge challenge to properly supervise the growing of fruit in sites that run from Arroyo Grande to the Santa Lucia Highlands. These 2009 Pinots suggest a little more focus on fewer appellations might not be a bad thing.Tel. (805) 938-5051; Fax (805) 938-0036; tantarawinery.com

The 2008 Pinot Noir Evelyn (one of the more expensive wines in the portfolio) is also impressively endowed and complex. Deep ruby/plum/garnet, with sweet red and black currants, a hint of kirsch, loads of spice, and some background subtle oak, this is a complete, full-bodied Pinot Noir with excellent underlying acidity. The forest floor notes that make Pinot so enticing and complex are present in this wine. It should drink well for up to a decade. This is a dizzying array of wines, including four Chardonnays and eleven Pinot Noirs. Perhaps it is overkill, but the quality of the wines is very high, and Tantara remains one of the bright, shining spots for these varietals on the Central Coast. Among the four Chardonnays, two are from the Santa Maria Valley, the Dierberg and the Bien Nacido, the Talley-Rincon is from Edna Valley’s Arroyo Grande appellation, and the Brosseau from the limestone soils of Chalone. The Pinot Noirs essentially cover virtually every Central Coast appellation, from the Santa Lucia Highlands in the north to the Santa Maria Valley in the south.Tel. (805) 938-5051; Fax (805) 938-0036

From the best barrels of the Bien Nacido Vineyard, Tantara fashioned the 2007 Pinot Noir Evelyn. Produced from the Dijon 115 and Mt. Eden clones, this backward offering reveals notes of fresh mushrooms, cranberries, raspberries, black cherries, and flowers. Rich, full-bodied, and tightly knit, it will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink well for 15 years thereafter. This is a fascinating, exceptionally high quality group of Pinot Noirs. They tend to range in the mid-14% alcohol levels, with the oak regime generally around 30-60% new. Tantara’s policy with respect to fermenting with stems varies from zero to as much as 20% for the Dierberg, Evelyn, Bien Nacido Old Vine, and Solomon Hills. Production is relatively limited, from a low of under 90 cases for the Bien Nacido Old Vine and Brosseau, to just over 200 cases for some vineyards. The most limited cuvees are the two single vineyard lots of Burt and La Grande Colline, approximately 24 cases of each. Most of these wines, save for a handful of exceptions that are noted, are capable of lasting 8-10 years or more. for a handful of exceptions that are noted, are capable of lasting 8-10 years or more. Kudos to Tantara for a very impressive line-up of Pinots.Tel. (805) 938-5051; Fax (805) 938-0036

Young and full-bodied, with a pie-filling wealth of cherries, raspberries, sassafras, orange peel, cinnamon, pepper and sandalwood. Dazzles with richness, a food group of its own. Yet balanced and elegant. Calls for a great steak, and should age well through 2012.——S.H.(10/1/2009)—— 94

The 2005 Pinot Noir Evelyn offers up sweet, complex aromas of black currants, cherries, dried herbs, new saddle leather, earth, and spice. It is a savory, round, velvety-textured, opulent, precocious Pinot to enjoy over the next 7-8 years. Tel. (805) 938-5051; Fax (805) 938-0036