California Pinot Noir: Feeling the Heat

The 2022 vintage saw a severe heat wave, but vintners delivered outstanding wines

Jeff Mangahas in the barrel room of Williams Selyem in Healdsburg, California
Despite the challenges of the 2022 growing season, Williams Selyem winemaker Jeff Mangahas delivers an impressive lineup of Pinot Noirs that showcase the vintage’s up-front fruit and well-defined sense of place. (Meg Smith)

For California’s recently released Pinot Noirs, quality continues to surge, with a range of distinctive terroirs being bottled by both experienced winemakers and new brands. This report focuses on the current-release 2022 vintage and also takes in a large number of late-release 2021s. Altogether, nearly three-quarters of the wines tasted earned 90 points or higher, with top producers releasing both impressive bottlings worthy of collecting and good values ready for the table. Read senior editor James Molesworth’s tasting report for scores and tasting notes from all recently released vintages.

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