Always the innovator, Peterson chose to plant half the site to a Roman-era clone of Pinot Noir he discovered in and personally imported from rural Wrotham, England; the only such planting in the country,  producing his first vintage of SLH Pinot Noir in 2013. Since then, his 500-case production of Pinot has earned an enviable reputation for its dark, savory, suave flavors, all achieved at relatively moderate alcohols, in 2018 13.8%.  He calls the 2018 his favorite vintage to date and we love it too. It’s a spicy, really complex Pinot with a solid core of cherry-strawberry like fruit with notes of fresh-turned earth, black and roasted green tea, fresh herbs and a great deal of Burgundy-like finesse on its super long finish.  It’s been a while since we’ve tasted a California Pinot with this much distinctive flavor, polish and class and we thought you’d really enjoy having a few bottles around to serve with dishes based on wild mushrooms, a perfectly done duck breast with savory cherry sauce or, of course, any sort of grilled meat.