Foggy Bottom by Easkoot Cellars Pinot Noir, 2018, California

“Tap that Ash”

Price at Purchase: Gift

Location: Easkoot Cellars ; Can be bought online and delivered from winemonger.com

Oh damn, this wine smells sooooo good. It’s fruity, but not obnoxious, and it has this amazing musky, vintage scent to it. There are immediate notes of plum and cranberry, but also hints of smoke and tobacco. Almost as if you’re smoking a cigar on the back porch with your grandfather…or the guy featured on label!

Sit down, kids, because it’s story time. The label tells the tale of Alfred Derby Easkoot, who took to the seas at the ripe age of 9. By the time he was 13, he had burned half of his face off and had a hook for a hand after a horrible whaling accident.

GIVE.THIS.MAN.A.DRINK!

But just when you thought his life got out of hand (too soon?!), he went on to become Marin’s first land surveyor, so things turned out ok for him. Damn, I’m going to need a glass of wine after reading that.

This wine has a perfect co-mingle of earthy texture and acidity... and is sophisticated enough for you to use words like co-mingle. It’s definitely heavy for a pinot, so keep this one in mind if you’re on the hunt for a medium-bodied bottle. It’s a thiccc wine that has it goin’ on at the club, but could also be fine staying in on a Saturday night with a good book (and that cigar, of course).