Robert Sinskey Four Vineyards Pinot Noir 2001
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-Wine Enthusiast
"Medium red. Complex nose combines red raspberry, cola, game, licorice and chocolatey oak. Initially seemed a bit hard-edged, but with aeration the wine revealed a creamy sweetness. Subtly spicy flavors of sweet/tart red berries, licorice and game. Finishes firmly tannic, subtle and long. Rather sophisticated California pinot."
-IWC
Like a great date, this wine is attractive at first glance, but as the date evolves into a relationship, layers of complexity are discovered. Bright fruit, reminiscent of raspberries or wild strawberries, draw you in, then undercurrents of minerals, earth and spice intrigue you to delve deeper. Balance allows alluring details to come to fore and structure speaks of the power underlying its soft-spoken charms. Given time, good food and good friends, this wine, like a good conversationalist, will slowly reveal its secrets while keeping your senses engaged.
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2000-
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The story of how wine is made is as important as the wine itself. The craft of winegrowing begins with the care of the soil and ends as an open bottle of wine on the table.
RSV is a second generation, family-owned and operated vineyard and winery. Every vine for every wine was planted by RSV and every vineyard is certified* organic. One could say that RSV is beyond organic. Since 1991, RSV has been practicing the “whole farm” philosophy of interrelationships based on Rudolph Steiner’s 1928 lecture “Agriculture.” This approach stresses the need to heal damage done by modern, mechanized farming - tapping into the rhythms of nature, encouraging natural processes, to grow superior winegrapes that require little but care to craft into expressive, vibrant and living wines.
RSV approaches the cellar as purists (with the same winemaker, Jeff Virnig, for over twenty-five years) to craft wines that are true and pure. The guiding principle that “wine is not an athletic event” has allowed the wines of RSV to stay true to vineyard and variety. Elegance over brawn has always been the house style and RSV does not submit wine for review by score-centric critics; because to taste wine in a competitive atmosphere, without food on the table, encourages wines that shout, ignoring subtle wines of balance, finesse and elegance... the attributes that define the fine wines of RSV.
*RSV’s vineyards are certified by C.C.O.F. - California Certified Organic Farmers. Due to the fee structure of Demeter USA, RSV no longer uses the trademarked words “Demeter” or “Biodynamic” as of the 2012 vintage - no matter, RSV has not changed farming philosophy
As early as the 1970s Carneros became known as a source of terrific Pinot Noir, and was one of the first California regions to gain such a reputation. The combination of sunny days, cooling fog and thin clay soils are tailor-made for the variety. Another factor in Pinot Noir’s prominent place here is vintners’ willingness to experiment widely. The history of the grape in Carneros is marked by continuous research into clonal variations, viticultural techniques and site selection. Careful evaluation over time has revealed a signature flavor profile as well. Complex aromas and flavors of cherry, red berry, spice, earth and cola appear time and again in Carneros Pinot Noir. To this day the appellation remains one of California’s standard bearers for the variety.