As one commenter put it: “Lane Tanner is the definition of a Pinot Noir legend.”
She was mentored in the 1970s by California’s supreme winemaking legend, Andre Tchelitscheff (who made the 1946 BV Pinot Noir which has been called “the greatest California wine ever made”). And became the first independent female winemaker in Santa Barbara. She also pioneered there the style of organically produced and minimal intervention Pinot Noirs that are the norm among California’s top Pinot producers today. Her nickname is “the Pinot Noir Czarina.”
And she still manages to make incredibly complex, as well as utterly authentic, Pinot Noirs at alcohol levels (13% here) almost unheard of today.
Interestingly, she also made the Pinot Noirs for the Hitching Post that were featured in the movie Sideways.
This is her top Santa Maria Valley Pinot to date. The Wine Enthusiast says:
This is a fantastic appellation cuvée, blending grapes from Rancho Real, Wild King, and Julia's vineyards into a showcase of ripe, fresh, clean cherry aromas complemented by crushed rock and soil aspects. The palate is deliciously jammy with cherry flavors that are enhanced by star anise and cardamom, set against an edgy texture.
