The 2023 vintage is a mic drop vintage for California Pinot Noir. Moderate temperatures and a late-running harvest resulted in wines of succulence and purity. Additionally, without any significant heat events during the course of the season, the crop also sized up, which means there’s plenty of quantity in the pipeline, too. This week’s Tasting Highlights covers both northern and central California growing areas. As you sip one of these tasty reds, you can get the full scoop on this benchmark vintage by reading our most recent annual California Pinot Noir tasting report in the Sept. 30, 2025, issue.
Of note is Banshee’s 2023 Sonoma County bottling, which checks in with over 85,000 cases made. High-volume bottlings of Pinot Noir are rare since to maintain quality, fermentation lots need to be smaller in size for better temperature control. (Larger vats get warmer, which isn’t ideal for Pinot Noir in particular.) This bottling, made by winemaker Jake Lachowitzer, blends fruit from vineyards in Los Carneros, Petaluma Gap, Russian River Valley and Sonoma Valley. He ages the wine for 10 months in 15 percent new oak, which gives it a light touch of spice.
Lyric also makes large quantities—34,000 cases—of its 2023 Monterey County Pinot Noir. Winemaker Diana Roberts uses grapes from coastal hillsides in central California’s Monterey County for this offering. She ages the wine for five months in 25 percent new oak, lending it a singed sandalwood note.
Farther south, Talley Vineyards is one of central California’s top Pinot producers. Winemaker Eric Johnson bottles a San Luis Obispo Coast cuvée that ages for 14 months in one-third new oak.
Also featured are the pretty Red Car Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2023 and the extroverted Talbott Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 2023. Read on for all seven of these California Pinot Noir reviews!
Tasting Highlights’ wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors’ most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members. This week, our editors have been tasting California Pinot Noirs.
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