Golden State Wine Co.
The Wine
When I first carried LWC pinots - during the mid aughts, at our former wine bar down in Solvang - they were big wines boasting gobs of dark fruit and high alcohol. They've always been easy to drink, but today's style matches contemporary palates much better, and I laud Brian Loring for pivoting his winemaking style.
13.5% ABV
The Winery
In the owner's words:
My name is Brian Loring and my obsession is Pinot Noir. While in college, I worked at a wine shop in Hollywood (Victor's), where one of the owners was a Burgundy fanatic. So, my very first experiences with Pinot Noir were from producers like Domaine Dujac, Henri Jayer, and DRC. I found my tasting safaris into the domestic Pinot Noir jungle less than satisfying.
It wasn't until I literally stumbled into Calera (I tripped over a case of their wine in the store room) that I found a California Pinot Noir that I could love. Over time, I also came to understand and enjoy Pinots from Williams Selyem, Chalone, and Sanford.
But I really got excited about California Pinot Noir when I met Norm Beko from Cottonwood Canyon at an Orange County Wine Society tasting. I'd made about 3 trips around the booths at the tasting before I stopped at the Cottonwood booth. I was BLOWN away by Norm's 1990 Santa Maria Pinot Noir!
After a few years of attending every Cottonwood event and asking Norm 10,000 questions about winemaking, he offered to let come learn the process during the '97 crush. I checked sugar levels, picked, crushed, punched down, pressed, filled barrels, and generally moved a bunch of stuff around with fork lifts and pallet jacks - It was the time of my life!
I was totally hooked. And even though I hadn't planned it, I ended up making two barrels of Pinot Noir. That was the start of the Loring Wine Company. What had started out as a dream 15 years earlier was now a reality - I was a winemaker!
How I Make Pinot Noir
My philosophy on making wine is that the fruit is EVERYTHING. What happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine - I can't make it better - I can only screw it up!
That's why I'm extremely picky when choosing vineyards to buy grapes from. Not only am I looking for the right soil, micro-climate, and clones, I'm also looking for a grower with the same passion and dedication to producing great wine that I have. In other words, a total Pinot Freak!
My part in the vineyard equation is to throw heaping piles of money at the vineyard owners (so that they can limit yields and still make a profit) and then stay out of their way. Since most, if not all of the growers keep some fruit to make their own wine, I tell them to farm my acre(s) the same way they do theirs - since they'll obviously be doing whatever is necessary to get the best possible fruit.
One of the most important decisions made in the vineyard is when to pick. Some people go by the numbers (brix, pH, TA, etc) and some go by taste. Once again, I trust the decision to the vineyard people. The day they pick the fruit for their wine is the day I'm there with a truck to pick mine.
Given this approach, the wine that I produce is as much a reflection of the vineyard owner as it is of my winemaking skills. I figure that I'm extending the concept of terroir a bit to include the vineyard owner/manager... but it seems to make sense to me. The added benefit is that I'll be producing a wide variety of Pinots. It'd be boring if everything I made tasted the same.
