Bel Lago’s 2015 Pinot Noir Reserve

Bottoms Up

By Lynda Wheatley | Oct. 3, 2020

In July 2019, Bel Lago’s 2016 Pinot Noir earned a 90-point nod from Wine Enthusiast — and with it, some more well-deserved attention to the deeply complex reds they’re raising from our region’s terroir. Late last week, under a cloudy, rain-soaking sky, Bel Lago’s crews tackled the first day of harvest for their 2020 Pinor Noir grapes. While we anxiously await the faraway day winemaker Charles Edson lets us taste what he’s wrought from the juice of those gems, we’re sating ourselves — quite happily, we might add — with a bottle of the winery’s 2015 Pinot Noir Reserve. This vintage’s French Oak aging gives the depth of its dark cherry and plum flavors a darker, more complex layer that lingers in a way we can’t resist sipping again and again. A quiet standout with an earthy body and strong finish, this black beauty is the ideal bottle to share with one you love on a long autumn night — and a good reason to check out Bel Lago’s (nearly finished) renovated tasting room or its at-the-ready outdoor patio. Find Bel Lago at 6530 S. Lake Shore Dr., in Cedar, or order a bottle ($36 per) at www.bellago.com.