At a blind tasting with Pinot Noirs from around the world, professionals swore my 2023 Estate Pinot Noir was Burgundy.

They were shocked by where it came from.

The 2023 vintage is special to me. 5 years into Peony Lane Wine production, this was the vintage I had been waiting for. Each year before had gone wrong.

2019 was my first year making wine and the learning curve was steep. Normal crop. Average wine.

2020 was weird. California wildfires pushed birds off their migratory pattern. By the time we noticed, they'd eaten half our grapes. After harvest that Fall, a hard frost wiped out the whole state's crop.

2021: zero grapes.

2022 was a second recovery year. Vines had grown back from the roots, but they weren't ready to produce much quantity. Good wine, very little of it.

By 2023 the vineyard was reestablished. Growing season went without a hitch. I got a full crop with amazing ripening.

I was ready to take advantage of it as a winemaker and I'm proud to say it is the best wine I have ever made.

People tell me they like my wine all the time, but when a blind tasting has professionals confidently declaring my wine to be a Burgundy, I know I did good.