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Red Tail Ridge "Pétillant Naturel" Pinot Noir Rosé, Finger Lakes, New York 2025

One of my favorite things about Pinot Noir is how it can still surprise me. In one bottle it can be stoic, serious, and a bit moody. In another, like the Pet Nat Rosé from Red Tail Ridge, it can be a hopeless romantic. Not to say that romance can't still be taken seriously. Winemakers and growers Nancy Irelan, Michael Schnelle, and their team are dedicated to bringing out their ideal expression of the unique, beautiful, and serious terroir that is the Finger Lakes.

Known for its ancient glacial soils and lakes, this historic region tends to bring out the Burgundian notes of domestic Pinot. The 2025 growing season at Red Tail saw some extreme weather early on, forcing the team into defensive battle tactics. But with some vigilant vineyard maintenance the grapes came out intact and plentiful, and only two weeks later than usual. I guess part of romance can be the dramatic tension? Done in the methode ancestral style (i.e one fermentation, finished in the bottle) the Pinot Noir clusters were cold soaked and gently pressed, left for a brief initial fermentation with indigenous yeast in steel tanks. The unfiltered, unfined juice is then poured into the bottle where it continues to ferment as the cap is closed and the bubbles form, until you're ready to pour a glass.

Enjoying Pinot Noir in this wilder way can be just as rewarding as its aged version. This vintage is a soft, supple mousse of salted strawberry jam speckled with fresh clean soil and a zesty breeze of a finish. Perfect to ease the tension of an awkward first date, or a magical dinner for one in a cozy corner with your favorite book. —Beth Altenbernd (Red Tail Ridge #1 Fan)

Ashanta "Aida" Ramato, Sonoma County, California 2023

Filmmakers Chenoa Ashton-Lewis and Will Basanta were inspired by Chenoa’s family vineyard in Sonoma where they got their initial start in winemaking. Today, they work in conjunction with other winegrowers in the region who oversee the farming of hidden, undersung, and spiritually meaningful vineyards, whose vines are often older (relative to California age)—meaing 35 to 50 years. Not nothing for Pinot Gris.

This cuvée, called Aida, is 100% Pinot Gris, sourced from the Valley of the Moon. It’s produced in the “ramato” style. We tend to think of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio as making white wines, but both can range in color from deep pink to nearly purple, creating a beautiful ramato (or “copper” in Italian) color, when the skins are left in contact with the juice. It’s a style Italians forged, which results in some delicious orange wine that’s especially prevalent in Friuli and the band of northern Italy where Pinot Grigio grows in concentration. Pinot Gris is a color mutation of Pinot Noir, and can manifest as tropical, spicy, full-bodied and lush.

I brought Aida out to a friend-dinner at Shang Kitchen, a Chinese restaurant that just opened on Magazine (they are waiting on their liquor license so BYOB is still allowed), and, let me tell you, this wine is a match for the soup dumpling sampler. It’s a generous Pinot Gris, all pear, green strawberry and kiwi, as one friend described it, rosy golden copper-pink, and lusciously textured, just as a ramato wine should be. —Allison Whittinghill

Flâneur Wines "La Belle Promenade" Pinot Meunier, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2024

In the family of Pinots, Pinot Meunier is one of the quieter of the bunch, perhaps the one who cleans up after a dinner party, happy to retreat while listening to the conversation around them. Though make no mistake, it would be missed if it disappeared. Who would do all the dishes after all?

A red mutation of Pinot Noir, the grape gets its name from the powdery, flour-dusted look of its leaves; meunier means “miller” in French. If you have had Champagne, you have probably tasted this variety; it is one of the three major Champagne grapes and makes up for about a third of the famous region's plantings. Cold-hardy and disease-resistant, Meunier is often seen as the workhorse of Champagne cuvées for its fruit and acidity, but in the right hands, it’s a chef's kiss. On our shelves are a couple Meunier heavy champagnes worth exploring, including François Bedel’s forté, spicy “Originelle.” I find these wines have a little more texture and nutty spice than Chardonnay or Pinot Noir dominant Champagnes. For this club's offering, however, we are exploring a still Pinot Meunier from Chehalem Mountains in Oregon.

Meet Flâneur. A producer that embodies the name—the leisurely wanderer exploring the world as an all-seeing, voyeuristic eye. Winemaker Anthony Sereni and grower Jaime Cantu tend to the winemaking and vineyards with that eye, deploying a playful curiosity to their approach across Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and, of course, this 2024 Pinot Meunier. Whole clusters of grapes are dropped into a tank to undergo semi-carbonic fermentation giving the wine body while keeping it lively and fresh. It’s mulberry-stained sidewalks, wild flowers, and allspice, and an excellent grilling companion. So tap your quiet friend and hand them a glass while you both do the dishes. —Cassandra Vachon

Domaine Mann "Fly Me to the Moon" Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France 2023

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Maison Stephane Saillet "Pinot Noir" VdF Rouge, Alsace, France 2023

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