Bishop’s Peak, San Luis Obispo County (California) Pinot Noir 2013

I’ve had consistently good luck with the Bishop’s Peak wines that I’ve tasted during the past few years, but this is probably the best of all of them.  It is an exceedingly welcome departure from the overtly-sweet, all-too-thick norm in California Pinot at this price level, showing layered aromas and flavors of red cherries and berries with a softly smoky, spicy finish.  Very classy for the money…and in my opinion, the whole point of Pinot is to be classy rather than brassy.