Hayman & Hill Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Reserve Selection No. 41 2007

This comes from the Reserve Selection line at Hayman & Hill who use it to designate wines from the most prestigious growing regions. Santa Lucia Highlands is recognized as one of California's absolute best areas for Pinot Noir. A combination of the altitude, the temperatures, the exposure and the soils allow Pinot Noir to develop full complex flavors and nuances without getting over blown or overripe. These select grape from the stellar 2007 vintage are carefully fermented in temperature controlled conditions and then aged for eight months in new French oak barrels. The wine shows distinct Pinot flavors of strawberry, black raspberry, black cherry along with brown spices, cola and smokey nuances. SLH Pinots generally retail around $40 and up. This one is on sale and a STEAL!! Don't miss it.

This Pinot is a good value. It shows lots of panache in the elegantly silky mouthfeel, dryness, crisp acids and subtle flavors of cherries, spices and oak. Feels classy in the mouth, and is a good ambassador of cool-climate appelation.

Just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, Edna Valley has one of the longest and coolest growing seasons in California. Its location allows nighttime coastal fog to move inland, cooling the grapes after a long day in the sunlight, so they slowly mature while retaining sufficient acidity. This wine exhibits earthy cherry and plum flavors that persist throughout, until giving way to a hint of spice on the long, smooth finish.

Wine Enthusiast ReviewRated 90 BEST BUYSmooth and dry, this Merlot seems designed to stand alongside food, rather than try and be a food group of its own. It has an earthy, herbaceous quality, with suggestions of cherries and red currants, and a rich scour of tannins. All that gives it a real Bordeaux quality.Wine Tasting NotesLifted strawberry and sweet ripe raspberry characters attack you on the nose and palate. Subtle dusty overtones with a sweet smokiness help to make this a powerful yet elegant Pinot with plenty of class. Perfect with just about any game birds or lighter meats such as veal. Try some seared duck breast with exotic mushrooms. Absolutely delicious.

Lovely and light, this soft red boasts cherry, berry and plum flavors that are both sweet-tasting and tart, with a slight hint of toast and a silky finish.