Hartford Court's Pinot Noirs are also extremely successful, and of course, they make a bevy of them. I tasted eleven separate selections, all of them priced between $50 and $75 a bottle with the exception of the Arrendell, which comes from the oldest vines of the whole batch and sells for $110. The 2014 Pinot Noir Marin County emerges from that wealthy county on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge, where few vineyards are located. Aged 17 months in 37% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, this comes from Dijon clone 828 and offers up the classic Burgundian notes of forest floor, pomegranate, plum, and smoky black cherries and strawberries. A Côte de Nuits-like Pinot Noir that is medium-bodied, but beautifully fruited and savory, it should be drunk it over the next 7-8 years.

Bright red cherry, cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon and sweet floral notes are all pushed forward in the 2014 Pinot Noir Marin County. Vibrant to the core, the 2014 is an ideal Pinot for drinking over the next few years, while the flavors retain their youthful energy. Veins of underlying salinity give the flavors a real acid-driven pop.