Wine of the Week: Gary Farrell 2016 Bacigalupi Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

What gives pinot noir its sex appeal?

The finicky grape, when it stops complaining, is racy and sensual and provocative and steamy.

We discovered a lineup of sexy pinots in a recent Press Democrat tasting, and we're going to kiss and tell.

The winner is the Gary Farrell 2016 Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley Sonoma County Pinot Noir at $65. Runner up is the Benovia, 2016 Cohn Vineyard, Sonoma County Pinot Noir at $75. Keller Estate snagged third place with its 2017 El Coro Petaluma Gap Sonoma County Pinot Noir at $60.

To give this trio its fair due, peruse these tasting notes:

Gary Farrell: This five-star pinot is sleek, and its magic is its high-toned red fruit - strawberry, raspberry and cherry - enveloped in an irresistible lush texture.

Savory notes are in the mix adding to this pinot's complexity. It has a lingering finish, and it's extremely well crafted.

Benovia: This is also a five-star pinot, and it's gorgeous, with an undercurrent of zesty spice beneath the layered notes of cherry, herbs and mineral.

It's the intensity of this pinot that will make it turn heads. With its generous fruit and lush texture, it's an absolute knockout.

Keller Estate: Layered and intense, this four and a half star pinot has a lot going on with aromas and flavors of cherry, cassis and anise.

It has nice length, crisp acidity and exceptional balance.

Theresa Heredia, the Gary Farrell winemaker who won top honors, is well schooled in pinot noir.

She spent a decade at Joseph Phelps in St. Helena beginning in 2002, with her later years at the winery's Freestone Vineyards. There she gained a reputation for making sleek and elegant pinot noirs and chardonnays.

The winemaker joined Gary Farrell in 2012 and her modus operandi is to let the vineyard speak.

“My goal is to take full advantage of specific site and fruit qualities to capture a pure expression of the vineyard,” she said.

“I want to get to know each block of fruit that we receive in the cellar, then tailor our winemaking techniques to fully capture what that fruit has to offer and craft a balanced, beautiful wine.”

Becoming a winemaker, Heredia said, was happenstance. While a Ph.D. candidate for chemistry at UC Davis, she met students from the enology department at UC Davis and had an epiphany. She said, “Wine, peptides? It's all chemistry, but how much more fun is wine?”

Heredia quickly changed course in the summer of 2000 so she could earn a master's degree in enology and viticulture.

Earlier that spring she had traveled across the pond to Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley, and the adventure whet her appetite for wine.

“I had already fallen in love with wine,” she said. “I just hadn't realized it.”

When crafting wine, Heredia always keeps a steady eye on the vineyard.

“The fruit I saw coming into the winery during my first harvest was truly exceptional,” she said.

“Working closely with iconic Russian River Valley growers - Joe Rochioli, Kirk Lokka and the Bacigalupi family - and spending time walking through their vineyards and working with their fruit has been an incredible experience.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.