Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/57654
RITZY PINOT #1: "FLASHY AND DELICIOUS" Hitching Post 2009 "Cork Dancer" Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County ($28) I n 1971, Gray Hartley bought a 1957 Plymouth and headed to Alaska to become a commercial fisherman. "I threw out the net and when the salmon balled up along the cork line, that was when you were making money. We're always looking for the cork dancers . . . " He teamed up with restaurant rockstar Frank Ostini from The Hitching Post, first making wine in Frank's garage in 1979. This 2009 is from six prestigious vineyards from the Santa Maria Valley to the Santa Ynez Valley. "A big, lush nose of caramel and soft oak soon hits the palate with the same phenomenon, coating it with a fir-tree minti- ness and baked cherries." —Meridith May "A focused kick of acidity within a core of luscious fruit. Tremendous balance." —Geoff Labitzke Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley. Jai Wilson, Sommelier, Jardinière Restaurant, San Francisco. The Panel Christopher Gaither, Sommelier, Spruce Restaurant, San Francisco. march 2012 / the tasting panel / 87