123 California Pinot Noir producers, ranked county by county from worth the hype to most overrated. Four lists, one per county, each ordered the same way: the producers we think earn their reputation first, the ones trading on it last.
Pinot Noir is the grape that exposes a region, because it hides nothing and forgives no shortcuts. California has four counties making it seriously, and they do not make it the same way, which is why a single statewide list would be useless.
| County | Producers ranked | Tops the list | Full ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County | 33 | Freeman Vineyard & Winery | Sonoma ranked |
| Napa Valley | 30 | Saintsbury | Napa ranked |
| Santa Barbara County | 30 | Ken Brown Wines | Santa Barbara ranked |
| Monterey County | 30 | Morgan Winery | Monterey ranked |
Sonoma County: 33 producers
The deepest list of the four, and the county most associated with California Pinot Noir. Freeman Vineyard & Winery heads it, followed by Dutton-Goldfield, Emeritus Vineyards, Hanzell Vineyards and Iron Horse Vineyards. Names further down include Siduri, Hartford Court, Landmark Vineyards, MacRostie and Lynmar Estate.
Sonoma is also where the gap between reputation and glass is widest, which is the point of ranking them at all: 33 Sonoma Pinot Noir wineries, ranked.
Napa Valley: 30 producers
Napa is Cabernet country, and the Pinot Noir worth drinking there mostly comes from the cooler southern end, around Carneros. Saintsbury tops the list, with Bouchaine, Cuvaison, Etude and Truchard Vineyards next, then Hyde Vineyards Estate, Robert Sinskey, Ancien Wines, Domaine Carneros and Starmont.
If you only know Napa for its Cabernet, this is the list that will surprise you most: 30 Napa Pinot Noir wineries, ranked.
Santa Barbara County: 30 producers
The county with the strongest claim to be California’s most interesting Pinot Noir region, and the least likely to be on a casual visitor’s list. Ken Brown Wines leads, then Longoria, Dragonette Cellars, J. Wilkes and Riverbench, with SAMsARA, Peake Ranch, Lafond, Dierberg and Bien Nacido Estate behind them.
Full ranking: 30 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir wineries, ranked.
Monterey County: 30 producers
Monterey is the value county, and the one where small growers do the most interesting work. Morgan Winery is first, followed by McIntyre Vineyards, Caraccioli Cellars, Pisoni Estate and Lucia, and ROAR Wines, with Wrath, Luli, Joyce Wine Company, I. Brand & Family and Albatross Ridge further down.
Full ranking: 30 Monterey Pinot Noir wineries, ranked.
What California does differently
The short version is sunshine and water. California fruit ripens more reliably than Burgundian fruit, which produces a rounder, fruitier wine and makes vintage variation less punishing, and the same conditions make it easy to overshoot into something heavy. Where that leaves California against France is the subject of French vs California wine, and the case for California on its own terms is in what makes California wines so good.
Visiting, and getting the bottles home
Two practical things, since most people reading a county ranking are planning a trip. Buying at the winery is not automatically cheaper, and we worked through when it is and is not in is buying wine at the vineyard cheaper.
Then there is carrying it. Wine under 24% alcohol travels in checked luggage without a volume limit if it is packed properly, and the full rules are in can you take wine on a plane. If you are driving instead, do not leave the case on the back seat: a parked car reaches close to 100°F on a mild day, which is enough to cook the wine, as covered in does wine go bad in a hot car.
Once you get it home
Pinot Noir is the least forgiving red to store and the shortest-lived once opened. It wants about 55°F, and an opened bottle is best finished within 24 hours rather than the three to five days a sturdier red will take. Both are in how to store Pinot Noir, with the comparison against every other grape in the wine storage temperature chart.