Easily the best of La Rochelle’s three Pinots, with a zesty acidity that frames ripe cherries, pomegranates, cola, oak and citrus zest. The Arroyo Seco is an under-appreciated appellation in Salinas Valley, while the clonal mix of this wine consists of older selections, not today’s cleaned-up Dijon specimens. This is a complex, addictive Pinot. Best now and for a few years. ——S.H.(7/1/2006)—— 93