Foxglove Pinot Noir Central Coast 2017

These guys are absolute critic darlings and have always been because they do things the right way. Jeb Dunnuck said, “Some of my favorite Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in California come from Jim and Bob Varner.” Antonio Galloni calls their wines “both distinctive and highly expressive of site.” Eric Asimov of The New York Times called them a value label which makes excellent wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And Robert Parker Jr. himself always recommended their wines to his readers, writing, “Anyone who loves Chardonnay and Pinot Noir would be well-advised to get onto their mailing list, as they are hard to find at the retail level.”

In 2017, the kings of small production were at it again, this time carving out a 91-point beauty in a vintage that tripped up most others. There’s a reason that Asimov has stopped doing domestic 20 under $20 wines—in his words, because he “couldn’t keep mentioning Foxglove over and over.” But their quality and care are abundant in this wine.