Lady of the Sunshine Pinot Noir

The wine: Lady of the Sunshine Chêne Vineyards 2018 Pinot Noir

The place: I purchased mine from Jack’s Filling Station in Sonoma. You can find Lady of the Sunshine wines in local wineshops featuring natural producers or at https://www.ladyofthesunshinewines.com/wineshop

The price: $26.99

This producer really does bring the sunshine to a rainy (quarantine) day. This wine is the embodiment of how a pinot should taste – light but full bodied, fruity (cherry, strawberry, cranberry) and floral, delicate and refined. The fruit that Gina Giugni uses to produce this pinot is from Edna Valley in the Central Coast AVA of California. The biodynamic practices that are used to farm this vineyard allow the fruit to truly express itself in the finished wine, especially since this producer focuses on making wine without additives or manipulation. This wine is extremely over-delivering for its price point – I’ve paid significantly more money for California (mostly Napa) pinot noirs that are much less expressive and true-to-form than what a pinot should be. Traditionally, pinot noir is a light, floral and fruity (but not overwhelmingly so!) subtle wine that does not smack you in the face with its profile. You have to be patient when drinking pinot noir in order to find and enjoy all of its intricacies and delicate aromas and flavors. It should be the opposite of a cabernet sauvignon in the way that a cab will hand you its bold flavor profile on a silver platter. This 2018 Lady of the Sunshine pinot noir is very close to wine from the grape’s traditional Burgundian roots which makes it a stellar California find. If you’re not drinking Lady of the Sunshine wine you are missing out!!

This wine is light enough to enjoy alone, and also pairs well with lighter meats such as lamb chops, pork chops, and roasted chicken or any pasta dish. It is a perfectly light spring & summer red that can be enjoyed at any time of day (including at 2pm during shelter-in-place🤭). Happy sipping!