Kosher Food and Drink

Although it’s classically odious behavior to state one is a Pinot lover, here we are. I love Pinot. In all its forms. Whether high acid and complex or intense and fruity, most wine lovers could understand the attraction and romanticism of Pinot. The elegance is likely unparalleled.

Thus, many winemakers persist in the struggle with this finicky grape. Pinot is sensitive to climate variation, prone to mildew, and prefers certain soil, all to produce in notoriously low yields.

The sensitive Pinot Noir is thought to prefer cooler climates and lots of clouds: like “Sad Dad” fans of The National. Let’s be honest: any longtime fan of The National is sad from the feculent, shallow, thoughtless drivel of the past several albums. Sorry, needed to put that in print somewhere.

But Pinot is more nuanced than to only shine in Bourgogne. Willamette in Oregon sits at roughly the same latitude as Burgundy, France, and produces some beautiful Pinot. We are lucky to get examples in a kosher world which continues to grow. But California is where Pinot really shows a different side. California Pinot Noir shows more lush fruit, body, and tannin, with ABVs often in the 14s.

While Burgundian Pinot certainly can be the greatest in the world, no one can say warm climate Pinot is not equally beautiful. Different, but still a star.

Again, lucky for our small demographic of kosher-only wine drinkers, we are beginning to see more California Pinots on the market, from winemakers such as Herzog, Covenant, Shirah, and others.

Santa Barbara County carries a unique confluence of vital factors for Pinot. A distinct maritime influence, cool Pacific breezes, nightly fog, and soils of limestone, sand, and diatomaceous earth.

Herzog’s recent iterations of Sta. Rita Hills “Special Reserve” wines have really been beautiful, proving that great kosher Pinot can be made in California, as Santa Barbara County is one of the coolest grape growing regions in California.

A new wine from microboutique San Luis Obispo winery, Narrow Bridge, is solidifying the argument. Founded in 2010 by Levi Chitrik and Rabbi Chaim Hilel, Narrow Bridge spent about a decade “making wine for a closed group of friends,” Chitrik tells me, “and opened to the public since the 2021 harvest.”

“We make wine for friends to enjoy,” Chitrik continues, “and the process is quite rewarding. We are Central Coast focused and believe we can take kosher Pinot up a notch or two.”

Narrow Bridge, Wolf, S. Barbara County, Pinot Noir, 2022

The fruit was harvested mid-September 2022, primarily from the cool climate Santa Maria Valley, and was topped off with Pinot from a little father north up the Central Coast. Brix was “quite decent” with the longer harvest.  Aged mostly in neutral oak but was also passed through some new medium char.  Bottled in March 2024.

The wine shows a fleshy, opulent nose of berries, bright cherry, and herbs after an hour of decanting. Developed further in the glass. Vanilla and toasty oak. Silky in the palate, medium but nearly full-bodied, with tight acid and integrated tannins. Lovely wine. A big hit at my table. Curious to see how this wine will age. Drink now to 2028, possibly longer.

Narrow Bridge wines bear the kosher certification of Rabbi Akiva Osher Padwa of the London Beis Din.

$81, 14.2% ABV, non mevushal

Available at Narrow Bridge Winery.