Drink of the Week: St. Reginald Parish 2013 Congregation Pinot Noir

What happens when the son of a Louisiana preacher man plants new roots in Oregon wine country? Really good Pinot Noir. Leaving behind a career in the music biz, New Orleans native Andrew Young set his sights on Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Working with small blocks of Pinot Noir, Young lets native yeasts take the lead in his whole-cluster fermentation and utilizes punch downs (rather than pump overs) to coax even the most subtle nuances from his fruit. Today’s Drink of the Week—the St. Reginald Parish 2013 Congregation Pinot Noir—is as fresh as it is focused, lovely as it is lively, with herbaceous aromatics of bay leaves and rosemary balanced by flavors of fresh cherries, tart cranberries and just a hint of game. Bottled at a mere 12.7% abv (and priced at a wallet-friendly $25), it practically insists that you pour yourself a second glass.

$25, streginald.com