The wildfires that swept so much of California in 2017 devastated whole communities, taking lives and destroying homes and property. In wine country, dozens of Napa Valley vineyards were damaged or burned to the ground. Even areas largely unscathed by flames are expected to show effects, in wine production and taste, for years. “The smoke taint thing will be (widespread),” wine broker Alex Andrawes told Fortune magazine. Frank Family Vineyards, in the Carneros region of Napa and Sonoma counties, for example, decided not to bottle 50 percent of its 2017 cabernet sauvignon, judging it potentially compromised.
But the winery’s pinot noir crop was less affected. Considered a temperamental and high-maintenance grape, pinot noir has been perfected over the centuries by winemakers in Burgundy despite a challenging climate, and their cohorts in California, where the weather is more suited to growing pinot, have excelled at expressing the grape’s best character in their wines.
Here’s a look at three pinots from Northern California.
Frank Family Vineyards Carneros pinot noir 2017
Find it: $32, Empire Wine, Colonie
Notes: Juicy, ripe and soft, this is an outstanding midpriced wine for a weekend indulgence or small dinner party with close friends of family. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, the wine has floral and cherry notes with spice bass notes, especially cinnamon. Get it while you can: Only 5,000 cases were produced.
Scott Family Estate Arroyo Seco Dijon Clone pinot noir 2017
Find it: $19, Saratoga Wine Exchange, Ballston Lake
Notes: Rich with coffee and berry flavors, this pinot from Arroyo Seco subappellation of Monterey, south of San Francisco, pairs well with bolder foods like beef Bourguignon, halibut with a…