Read Holland Deep End Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2019

Wine can sometimes serve as the perfect vehicle for rekindling friendships. We recently reconnected with Ashley Holland, and lo and behold, she now has her own fledgling wine brand called Read Holland! Of course, just knowing someone at ACME doesn’t mean you’ll pass muster with our team’s discerning palates. But at the end of an hour with Ashley, we all agreed her Pinot Noir was a must-have: robust, yet bright and elegant. 

As with many of us, Ashley’s foray into wine was somewhat unexpected. An avid equestrian, she was busy taking all of her science prerequisites at Oklahoma State University when she realized she had time in her hectic schedule of courses for an elective. So she enrolled in a Wine Appreciation course and fell head over heels in love with the subject. And upon graduation, she packed her bags for California to pursue a career in sales and hospitality. It wasn’t long after starting at MacMurray that Ashley's scientific curiosity re-emerged, and she began eagerly quizzing every winemaker willing to talk with her. Ashley decided, one final time, to change gears and delve into winemaking. Her very first harvest was at Two Rivers in the Marlborough region of New Zealand- or, as she puts it, the University of Sauvignon Blanc. Upon returning to California, she burnished her credentials under the tutelage of winemaking legend Bob Cabral (Williams Selyem, Kunde, Hartford Court) at Three Sticks winery in Sonoma. It was here that Ashley developed a passion for Pinot Noir, specifically the fruit from Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. This medium-bodied, smooth-as-silk Pinot Noir is sourced from the Deep End of the valley, where fog-enshrouded redwoods meet the Pacific Ocean. It is the perfect wine over which to reconnect with old friends!

Intense red and black fruits combine to greet the nose, followed by hints of Chinese five spice and pine needle. Layers of rooibos and black tea on the palate meld with blood orange and raspberry coulis that are lifted by the wine’s bright acidity. Moderately intense tannins round out this exuberantly stylish vintage.