2018 Firesteed California Selection Pinot Noir

There’s a stretch consisting of almost exclusively seaside vistas before another city beckons. Santa Barbara is only a few highway exits long, however, and in almost the wink of an eye, a more rural landscape emerges.

Before long, the highway is seemingly surrounded by grapevines, as vineyards stretch in every direction for nearly as far as the eye can see. This is the true beginning of California’s Central Coast wine region, an area that runs all the way up to Monterey, just south of San Francisco.

The Central Coast has emerged as one of the Golden State’s top Pinot Noir growing regions, with pockets of cool-weather microclimates that the variety prefers. Cross Creek Winery sourced the grapes for its 2020 Pinot Noir from this special place and then, essentially, let the fruit speak for itself in the pretty and palate-pleasing finished wine.