2012 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Russian River

You've heard the hype... but is 2012 really that good? With regards to Californian Pinot Noir, Jim Laube's comment in the Feb 28, 2013 Wine Spectator was: "The 2012 vintage should be stunning, perhaps the best yet." But is Jim right?

In a word: YES! So far, based on how the fruit looked when it came in from the vineyards and from how the wines taste in barrel, I think it's safe to say that 2012 will easily be considered one of the best vintages for Cali Pinot - if not (as Jim says) The Best Ever. Near perfect weather and decent yields combined to create both great wines and reasonable supply. We haven't seen that combination since 2009, which is the vintage I think the 2012s will most resemble. And if you remember our 2009s, that's definitely a very good thing. And we're another year better at doing what we do. So it's not a stretch to say Best Ever for 2012 this early in the game.