Evening Land is a name derived from Greek mythology. As the story goes, the rays of the western sun were connected to golden fruit in a beautiful garden. Just out of the reach of mortals, the fruit brought immortality. The Evening Land Vineyard though is poised on the western most edge of California in the Santa Rita Hills. The coastal fog contributes to the cool climate and long growing season and assists the grapes in achieving perfect balance between ripeness and acidity. These vineyards are planted with only California heritage clones, which are farmed organically and winemaker Sashi Moorman is guided by the same philosophy he followed as a sous chef in New York City and the nation’s capitol – “always use superlative ingredients.” His winemaking style gives a nod to the Burgundian tradition, one that includes stewardship of the land and expression of the vineyard and vintage.
This past Sunday evening was a great opportunity for me to open a bottle of 2010 Evening Land Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills. And as all wine should be, I enjoyed this bottle with a special meal and special people. My husband and I are fortunate enough to live just 20 minutes from both of our grown children and future son-in-law, and they are our favorite dinner guests. We opened the bottle about 45 minutes before the completion of the entree which I planned specifically for this wine - onions, painstakingly caramelized to just the right shade of golden brown, thinly sliced portabella mushrooms, fresh kale and goat cheese over brass cut pasta, all ingredients I thought the winemaker would appreciate!
We could hardly wait to begin – the aroma of the onions alone made us all feel hungry, but we slowed the pace to enjoy the aroma of the wine before we tasted – and what an aroma! – wet earth and perhaps a little moss, all very appealing as it married with dark raspberry. On the palate, the berry steps forward in a big way, all luscious and silky. While the wine would have been perfect on its own, we found that the sweetness of the onions and the earthiness of the portabellas complemented all aspects of this gem. It’s a combination that we would gladly enjoy again and again, and at $39.99 that is most definitely a possibility! This wine received 92 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and Antonio Galloni, the reviewer for this wine, called it “simply beautiful.” And beautiful it is.
I cannot claim that it will bring you immortality but served with the right meal to your favorite people, the 2010 Evening Land Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills will certainly make you wish you could live – and drink wine – forever.