2018 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard

A sprawling range of wines from across California are made here by Bill Brosseau, including numerous Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. While the 2018s show the freshness of the year, they also maintain the house style, which emphasizes forward fruit and supple texture, making them highly drinkable soon after release. There’s a robust though not excessive use of new oak (usually just under 40%), so I find the wines to be even better if allowed a few years for the oak to integrate with the intense fruit. Testarossa, which was established in 1993 by owners Diana and Rob Jensen and is based in Los Gatos, long ago gained access to some of the region’s top vineyards, and fans of full-flavored renditions of the Santa Lucia Highlands are highly encouraged to seek out their wines, even if availability is somewhat limited by their relatively small production.