The 2009 Pinot Noir Lindsay's Vineyard emerges from the glass with gorgeous plums, black cherries, cola and sweet spices. It shows lovely depth and a sensual, caressing personality. Hints of licorice, tar and earthiness add complexity on the nuanced finish. This shows great depth and staying power, but is ultimately a wine built more on elegance than power. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. 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

Another wine from the Santa Rita Hills site, the 2008 Pinot Noir Lindsay’s, comes from the sandy, loamy soils of this appellation. One hundred percent destemmed and aged in 40% new French oak, the wine displays a medium plum/garnet color, spicy, earthy notes intermixed with tobacco leaf and red and black currants, a hint of Chinese black tea, and plenty of herbs and spice in the finish. This wine seems fully mature and best drunk over the next 2-3 years. 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

No stems were included in the 2007 Pinot Noir Lindsay’s Vineyard, a product of Dijon Clones 115, 667, and 777. This superb wine boasts a dark saturated purple color in addition to copious amounts of red and black currants, spring flowers, forest floor, damp earth, and graphite, and a full-bodied, powerful, rich, concentrated style. A deep, impressively-endowed Pinot with gorgeous texture and length, it can be drunk now or cellared for 10-14 years. 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