The 2012 Pinot Noir Meredith Mitchell Vineyard has an intriguing bouquet of intense blackberry and raspberry fruit, undergrowth and cloves underneath with a faint touch of Spanish Padron peppers. From vines planted in 1988 and still on their own roots, entirely from the Pommard clone and trellised "California sprawl" that tend to give low yields, it was matured in 32% new oak. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin and well-judged acidity, cohesive in the mouth with a pleasant bell pepper note counterbalancing the sweetness of the fruit, leading to a structured, saline finish. This is my pick from Raptor Ridge.