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Winemaker Dan Kosta called Aurilia during one harvest to tell him that Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni, two of the world’s foremost grape growers, would be willing to sell some of their prized Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in central Monterey County.

Starting with the 2024 vintage, the Red Stitch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is hauled to Sonoma as part of the label’s transition for those varietals to winemaker Erich Bradley, who connected Micek with Roberts and Aurilia through mutual conversations leading to their first joint tasting.

In southern Zealand, Jesper Rye Jensen, who runs Vesterhave Vingaard, produces red wines from varieties like pinot noir and merlot, usually associated with France.

I’m gonna get the French onion soup and I’m gonna get a glass of Pinot Noir, and me and my boyfriend are gonna talk, hang out.

It still doesn’t match the touristic draw of either, but the spunky kid sister of the California wine countries has grown up since 2004, when Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church took their fateful stag trip into the region, declaring war on Merlot and driving Pinot Noir sales through the roof.