Coastal Elegance
2023 Stolo Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo
Raj Parr's Best Effort to Date
Experience the vibrant new edge of California Pinot Noir with the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir from the coastal San Luis Obispo region, brought to life by the boutique family-owned estate Stolo. Nestled just three miles from the Pacific Ocean in...
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Winemaker Nicole Bertotti Pope’s (ex-Domaine Carneros) signature precision
Grown just three miles from Pacific
Retail
$47.00
Best Online
$39.00
Our price
$35.00
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Red Wine Body Profile
Body
Delicate
Feather-light
Delicate
Lifted
Structured
Deep
Grapes
100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol
12.0%
Serving temp
55
–
59°F
Drinking Window
2025
–
2031
Tasting notes
Aroma
Lifted and pure, the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir opens with a vivid coastal freshness — red cherry, wild strawberry, and pomegranate glide over layers of rose petal, crushed sage, and sea breeze minerality. A subtle note of black tea and warm spice lingers underneath, grounding the aromatics in quiet depth.
Palate
Graceful yet confident, it glides across the palate with silky tannins and bright, saline-edged acidity. The mid-palate builds tension between ripe red fruits, blood orange zest, and savory earth, tapering into a long, mouth-watering finish of raspberry leaf, fennel, and mineral dust. A cool-climate Pinot that’s both vibrant and finely sculpted — unmistakably coastal California, but with the restraint of the Old World.
Coastal Elegance
Experience the vibrant new edge of California Pinot Noir with the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir from the coastal San Luis Obispo region, brought to life by the boutique family-owned estate Stolo. Nestled just three miles from the Pacific Ocean in Cambria, Stolo Family Vineyards sits on 53 acres purchased in 2002; the heart of the vines planted in 1998 include Pinot Noir alongside Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and more.
What sets this wine apart? First, the terroir: the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA offers a rare blend of maritime influence — fog‐cooled mornings, long gentle growing seasons and soils that deliver finesse rather than brute power. It’s Pinot Noir in its more subtle, aromatic, finely etched mode. Then, the winemaking team: winemaker Nicole Bertotti Pope, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate who refined her craft at Domaine Carneros and Talley Vineyards, ensures that each lot is handled with precision and purpose.
At Stolo, production is intentionally small and intimate — designed to maximize quality, personality and expression rather than mass output.
In the glass, the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir delivers a compelling invitation: expect a translucent ruby-garnet core, luminous in tone, followed by aromas of ripe red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and a subtle layer of forest floor and spice. On the palate the profile is fresh yet rounded — fine tannins, balanced acidity, and a mid-palate of cranberry, wild strawberry, scented florals and a whisper of cola or cardamom. The finish lingers with both lift and elegance.
What’s especially noteworthy is the value proposition: Pinot Noir of such pedigree (coastal site + boutique estate + careful winemaking) often commands significantly higher pricing. At this moment, the 2023 Stolo Pinot shows up as a compelling entry point to an estate of real substance, deserving of any serious Pinot-lover’s cellar.
Food-pairing is easy and fun: grilled salmon, roasted duck breast, mushroom risotto, or even firm-cheese platters play well. It’s refined enough to serve at dinner parties yet relaxed enough for weekend sipping.
If you’re building a collection, the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir hits three must-have boxes: an emerging California coastal Pinot estate, a cool-climate terroir expression, and a vintage ready to drink yet with cellaring upside (expect excellent drinking now and further refinement over the next 5–8 years). With the small production from Stolo, this kind of wine will fill fast in club allocations and collector lists.
In short: the 2023 Stolo Pinot Noir isn’t just another Californian red — it’s a refined, coastal-influenced expression of Pinot Noir from a dedicated estate, made with passion and cellar potential. If you’re seeking a wine that offers both immediate drinkability and long-term intrigue, this one deserves your placement in the lineup.
