Wine spectator called 07 the best year for California-grown Pinot Noir "ever." No joke, they said: "ever." And then they awarded a relatively new winery, that still could fit in the "up-and-comer" category one of the best California Pinots of the year: 07 Heaven and Earth La Boheme Pinot Noir, by Red Car winery [1] (97 Pts). As my wife would say, this is not news, it's "olds". However, sitting with Carroll Kemp, owner and winemaker of Red Car Wines, he did mention something that I thought was "news"-worthy.

Many of us would already know that wines that have endless exposure to the hot sun, create an accelerated ripening process, that increases the sugar concentration in the grape, making the wine slightly less, shall we say. .. refined. The sweetness can tend to compromise the complexity, structure and depth and give way to jam and juice, and the alcohol goes through the roof. Hang out on the far-east side of Highway 46 between Bakersfield and Paso, and you'll see what I mean. Head west, across the 101, where the vines are exposed to evening cool, coastal air and the wines take a little longer to reveal everything they have to show (Housewives vs. Cheerleaders if you will).

Therefore, many of us have always been advocates of wineries that are exposed to "warm days, cool nights."  Enter my conversation with Carroll Kemp of Red Car Wines. We were musing on the emergence of Paso Robles as a serious AVA for California Wines, and I commented that I tend to prefer the wines of West Paso, largely due to the positive effect of cooler evenings. Kemp reminded me that while the cooler evenings are superior to 24 hour Bakersfield baking, the temperatures in West Paso are capable of swinging from 100 degrees plus in the days, to 40 degrees and below in the evenings-and temperatures that cold halt the ripening process. The optimum temperature for grapes to ripen is 68˚F (20˚ C).  Therefore, Kemp proposed if you find a climate that avoids the extremes, and for the most part stays close to those mild temperatures, you find a grape that is ripening evenly, 24 hours a day, and phenomenal wines as a result. Essentially, look for cooler days and warmer nights.

Recommendation: Open up a bottle Red Car Pinot Noir, and just in case your tempted to take all this wine talk too seriously, indulge the guilty pleasure of Richard Marx, blast "Endless Summer Nights," sing like your life depended on it, and toast to a great red wine from a warm-evening climate.

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