Wine of the Week

Winemaker Patricia Green made her reputation at Torii Mor winery in Oregon. In the spring of 2000, though, she and her cellar master, James Anderson, bought the old Autumn Wind Winery and re-christened it Patricia Green Cellars. Green has a wonderful feel for Pinot Noir and her first efforts under the new label are just now arriving on the market. This one, her basic Pinot Noir, is a bargain--an affordable Pinot with varietal character and depth that is drinking beautifully now.

Keep an eye out, too, for her single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Eason and Balcombe Block 1B, both of which ratchet the quality up a good notch or two. Quantities of all these wines are limited, but they’re not impossible to find.

About $20. Available at the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731; Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454; Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111; Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, (760) 745-1200; and Barons in San Diego, (858) 481-2323. If you can’t find this wine, have your local shop call the distributor, Adventures in Wine, (800) 870-9463.

S. Irene Virbila