Some people say Adam and Dianna Lee makes too many wines. Not that these folks don’t like his Siduri and Novy wines. I’m guessing that they just figure the Lees could make a few profound wines rather than a few dozen delicious ones.

I think anyone this gifted should do whatever he or she wants. Besides, look at those baby-faced visages and tell me: Don’t they have plenty of time to go for profundity? And isn’t being seriously immersed in the viniculture and viticulture of a bunch of wines a great way to get there?

Spending some time with Adam, as I was fortunate enough to do  recently, would convice anyone that he’s just going to get better and better at his craft. He’s funny, disarming and open; it’s like talking to a guy you played pickup touch-football and softball games with growing up. He’s also crazy smart.

Adam didn’t have a taste of alcohol until college, and it was a disaster. “The first thing I ever drank was screwdrivers,” he said over lunch at Nick & Eddie, “and I couldn’t drink orange juice for about 3 years after that.”

He and Dianna moved from Texas to California with little more than an ardor for wine, and began making wine with the 1994 vintage. They were in on the ground floor of the Santa Rita Hills’ and Santa Lucia Highlands’ ascension in the pinot noir world, although they’re based in Santa Rosa, near another region Sonoma Coast) from which they source great grapes.

They’re now up to a score or more Siduri pinots a year, mostly single-vineyard, and several Rhone varietals from Novy. The ever-curious Adam is also taking a stab at nebbiolo from the Central Coast, and I’m not about to bet against him.

Some of these wines are now available here, via World Class Wines, and I recommend them highly. They’re generally ready to drink upon release (although the Novy syrah should be decanted for a bit) but also can age for a few years.

As far as I’m concerned, Adam and Dianna Lee should continue to make just as many wines as their hearts desire.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 29th, 2008 at 11:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.