Spring training with new whites and domestic Pinot Noirs

Despite the snow flurries and low degree temperatures over the last few days, we’ve been in a Springy kind of mood – A wine sort of “spring training” if you will. If you follow “the instagram” (@wineatfiverye) you’ve seen that we’ve been talking about (and sipping) a couple of new white wines. These have included a Bical – a Portuguese white varietal that reminds us of white Burgundy when done right – and a Menatou-Salon Blanc, which is Sancerre’s less, “buzzed up” neighbor in the Loire Valley also making lovely minerally expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. 

But Spring isn’t all about white wine and rosé. Spring is much more than that. It’s about new life, growth, and new beginnings, which is why I want to share a fresh new line-up of domestic Pinot Noirs that I’ve been steadily building over the last few weeks. These aren’t all wines that you’ve seen here in the past, but they are wines that I firmly believe deserve a place on the shelf and in your glass. 

When I was first getting excited about wines, most of the bottles that “did it” for me were “old world” European wines. If I’m being honest, I still find myself drinking more French and Italian bottles than not. But in recent years, I’ve been drawn to the cooler-climate parts of California because they are making killer Pinot Noir (Chardonnay too, but that’s for another email).  From Santa Barbara’s Santa Maria Valley we’ve added a bottle from Presqu’ile, and from neighboring STA. Rita Hills, a delicious bottle from Tyler. Heading north, from Mendicino’s Anderson Valley, I’ve added a longtime favorite from Anthill Farms. 

I didn’t want to leave Oregon out of the party, so you’ll find some fun bottles from Holloran and Stringtown here as well.  

These Pinot Noirs are all different, but they are each soulful and vibrant expressions of all that domestic Pinot Noir is and can be. Even better, they’re all in the $20 to $40ish a bottle range. 

Happy tasting!