2015 Varner Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Varner’s 2015 Pinot Noir is the kind of wine that led Vinous founder Antonio Galloni to say their “deep, resonant Pinots remain some of the most compelling wines being made in California.” 

Galloni isn’t the only one to sing Varner’s praises, either. Robert Parker himself said, “I can not recommend these fairly priced reds and whites highly enough”—something we can wholeheartedly echo. The 2015’s bottle-age has brought it to a fantastic stage of development, blending bold and youthful fruit with the complexity and nuance that only comes with time. 

We hold Varner to a high standard, and this wine lives up to it—which isn’t surprising, given the vineyard source. Los Alamos is one of the oldest plantings in Santa Barbara, with sand- and lime-heavy soils that promote beautiful floral notes and vibrant acids—perfect to balance out the ripeness that comes from the unique climate between the cool Santa Maria Valley and the warmer Santa Ynez Valley appellation.

Los Alamos is farmed by rising-star viticulturist Tavo Acosta, who took over the vineyard in 2004 and farms with an attention to detail that’s rarely seen in the area. A passionate wine-lover, his hands-on farming style is guided by a devotion to quality that has led other top names, like Chanin and Au Bon Climat, to make Los Alamos Vineyard bottlings.

The Varners take the pristine Los Alamos Pinot Noir and ferment it in stainless steel—an uncommon step that preserves freshness in the wines—before aging it in oak for ten months to polish the wine’s tannins to a silky filigree. That wine is then held in bottle to develop additional complexity… and this one is an absolute delight to drink right now.