Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Caretaker – Pinot Noir 2016
Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A mature Pinot Noir from the cool-climate Santa Maria Valley, an AVA celebrated for its ocean-influenced breezes and long growing season. Even with nearly a decade of age, this bottle still shows charm and balance, proving the longevity potential of well-made Central Coast Pinot.

Aromas & Flavors
Notes of baked raisins, dried figs, and black cherry dominate, with subtle hints of spice and earthiness adding depth. Secondary characteristics from age bring a soft, dried fruit sweetness, leaning more toward warmth and roundness than fresh vibrancy.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with softened tannins and a silky, mellow texture. The acidity has relaxed over time, but enough freshness remains to keep the wine affable and enjoyable to the very last drop.

Food Pairing
Perfect with roasted duck, mushroom risotto, or a simple charcuterie spread. Its aged character also makes it a fine companion to semi-hard cheeses.

Verdict
A pleasant surprise — still approachable, rounded, and enjoyable despite its maturity. While the prime window has passed, this 2016 Pinot shows that Santa Maria fruit holds up gracefully and rewards those who hold on just a little longer. Cheers! — 8 months ago

John Knudsen

9.0

Decanted for 2 hours. Still big, no signs of fading. Did not drink enough before it was consumed to review properly, but seemed a touch sweet. — 3 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.3

Strawberry, black cherry jolly rancher, nutmeg, and earth aromas. Strawberry and cherry palate with great acidity and juicy palate. — 4 years ago

Maddie Fromell

8.9

Listening to fado in Lisbon — 7 years ago

Nagib Nasr

9.2

Amazingly smooth... at Emerils — 8 years ago

Chris Hyde

9.1

Out of Magnum. Serious aging potential.. — 10 years ago

Michael Walker

9.7

Classic J chard. Nice edge but still pretty light. Good for boneless pork chops. — 10 years ago

Paul Hodgkinson

8.9

Decent not great.
— 11 years ago

with Scott

Andrew Nelson

9.6

Stoked bout the new vintage of Lieu Dit Melons ! — 11 years ago

with Stephen, Jared and 2 others

Dimitris Karyamis

10

One of the best Sauv. Blanc. Really recommend, great value for money! — a year ago

Jenks

9.0

Apparently this translates to “up all night” or something heeeeeyyyyy — 2 years ago

Michael Chelus

9.0

Apple, lemon candy, dried apricot, oak and hints of peach. Great acidity and balance. — 3 years ago

Mcfossati

9.3

This wine has bright acidity, notes of citrus, green apples, yellow pears and white flowers. Which went very
well with the grill fennel with mustard seeds sauce and prosciutto, sweet potatoes, portobella mushrooms and skirt steak which was season with just salt, pepper and some mustard seeds. This wine is very well structured and the flavors are intense with earthy and mineral driving finish which went great side by side the stake. — 5 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Outstanding Italian White. Remarkable balance of minerality, acidity and fruit. Very pure. Apples and pears. Wine is bright and fully open right out of the bottle. Best white of the year so far. Nice!! — 7 years ago

with John

Pinotman /// Andreas

8.9

Strawberry nose. Cooked strawberry in the glass. Low alcohol and classic California fruit. Fruit forward but well balanced with good acidity. A good one for a great price if you like this style. — 10 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

Any wine that can shine from a plastic cup deserves extra kudos. Mistook for a Northern nebbiolo with its structure, detail, & balance, but the fruit is pure southern, pomegranate & black currants. Eye opener (esp for 30$ list). Want to re taste in proper stemware. I think 80% nero di trioa 20% montulpiciano — 10 years ago

with Owen

Mike

9.1

Quirky but nice — 11 years ago

R. Addison Wehrfritz

9.5

#gamey like a lamb kabob, #saltartyness like green olives, #dry like Cali in a drought year. Love it! — 11 years ago

Neil Shah

9.4

Loving this, it's a Pinot with all the elements I love in Cayuse — 13 years ago

Jenn Ingle

9.0

Nose - soil, wet stone and petrichor/rainy day. Main flavors - delicate stone fruit like plum, cherry and an after taste of fruit pits. Mouthfeel - silky upfront and the a little bit of acid and zing on the back. Really approachable wine. Don’t sleep on dolcetto! Lovely wine. — a year ago

with Jay

Louis Martin

9.1

Plum, smoky, hint of tobacco, smooth and creamy texture, pairs well with red sauce pasta. — 3 years ago

Ola Lenin

9.3

Schoolbook pinot with warm strawberry and sloeberry fruit. Cranberries on the finish. Some oak and spices on the finish. Simply very enjoyable! — 4 years ago

Marc Melser

9.0

We had the 2013 Vintage on 2/21-22/20. Bright red fruit on the bouquet. Tart cherry, strawberry and pomegranate on the palate. Bright and acidic. Good but not great. — 6 years ago

Michael Nippe

9.5

This is really good wine. #schmeckt-gut — 8 years ago

Nico J. Snyman

9.6

Tried the '90 recently, spoke of how amazing a producer of Californian Cabernet it is, but just needed a little more time, this '85 is well & truly on point, everything is in balance, there's fruit intensity yes, but the development/complexity/layers are really shining through, outstanding stuff. — 9 years ago

Matthew Nocas

9.6

2002 holding up very nicely -- elegance with structure! — 10 years ago

Michael Washabaugh

9.1

Paired well with a lamb, eggplant purée, fava beans, piquolo pepper. Would also pair with a medium rare magret duck or other game. — 11 years ago

Steve The Wine Guy

Cellarbrations at Cottesloe Western Australia, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW)

9.2

Good pallet weight and texture with moderate acid. Top notch Marlborough for the price. Crowd pleasing style. — 11 years ago

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.7

Our K&L Redwood City staff party at LB steak was fantastic- nothing smaller than magnum allowed! This double mag has been in our cellar since release and has hardly moved at all! Big, powerful, Mountain fruit! — 12 years ago

Mike Fiorello

8.9

One of the best wines for the price. — 13 years ago