Sante Arcangeli Pinot Noir Integrato Santa Cruz Mountains 2024

When you want a Pinot Noir endowed with myriad earthy, red-fruited layers and ready to impress, this is what you’re going to be reaching for every single time. Packing 95 points and hanging out under the $30 mark, it doesn’t get much better than this! Also… free shipping on just 3 bottles!

This 2024 Integrato (“integrated”) takes fruit from five stellar vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains – Saveria, Sunny Knoll, Lester, Split Rail, and Coast Grade – blending a mix of clones Martini, Mt. Eden, Pommard, and several different Dijon varieties – and now the name makes complete sense. Winemaker John Benedetti tasted and selected the best juice from each vineyard to pull into this cuvee and make this barrel selection wine, which after 10 months, ages another 8 months on the lees, all coming together for a powerful, fruit-forward, captivatingly generous Pinot Noir.

John Benedetti grew up watching his father collect and stow away fine French and California wines in the cellar beneath their family store in the ‘70s. His interest was piqued, and he went on to learn how to brew beer in his teens and 20s before segueing to wine in his 30s. It was then that he decided to make the jump into starting his own winery, named after his great grandfather as a way of honoring all those in his family who created a pathway for him to pursue his passion of exceptional wines.

“Benedetti is a strong, consistent advocate for the common goal of elevating the overall quality of winemaking in the region, and it shows in the bottle. A thoughtful, careful winemaker, his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are pure and honest. Benedetti is flexible and adaptive in his practices in the winery, making what he calls ‘game-day decisions.’ He adjusts harvest times, punch-down routines, élevage and whole cluster inclusion on a site-by-site, vintage-by-vintage basis.” –Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

This is a small, intimate, dedicated production, and one that is making big waves in the Central Cali wine scene. When you pop open this bottle, you’ll first note the aromas prancing from the glass: roasted strawberries, cherry jam, and sandalwood. The palate brings with it juicy notes of black cherry and blood orange with savory undertones of za’atar, mossy earth, lemon zest, and peppercorn adding a properly pleasant kick to balance the bold fruit. It’s well-structured and magnetically concentrated, with a lovely, long, and silky-fresh finish – and easily passes for a bottle at least double the price. For lovers of bolder, layered, forest-tinged Pinots, this is an easy one to bring home, and lots of it!

FOOD PAIRINGS: These smoky chipotle chicken enchiladas offer a flavorful, peppery complement to this rich Pinot Noir, gorgeously pulling out both the fruit and earthy elements.