Venge Vineyards Croix Narrow Gauge Pinot Noir 2017
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby in the glass, the 2017 Pinot Noir Narrow Gauge has a very spicy nose of cinnamon, peppercorn, dried leaves and potpourri with warm black cherries and berries and crushed red cherries. Medium-bodied and silky with loads of spices in the mouth, it has soft, grainy tannins and juicy acidity with a long, layered finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2017 Pinot Noir Narrow Gauge comes from the Russian River Valley and spent 15 months in 40% new oak. This medium ruby colored effort offers a great nose of black raspberries, mulled cherries, pine forest floor, and dried earth. It's juicy, medium-bodied, has plenty of fruit, good acidity, and a great finish.
Other Vintages
2015-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
The Venge (ven-ghee) family has farmed vitis vinifera varieties in Napa Valley for nearly half a century. It is a journey that began when Knud Venge emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1900’s. Knud's son, Per Venge, found his passion in the wine and spirits industry and started Vencom Imports, focusing on the importation of Western European fine wines and spirits. It was Per's son, Nils Venge, who left the family business in the 1960's with a vision to study viticulture at UC Davis and establish the family name as an icon in the winegrowing community.
The family's viticultural roots flourished in 1976 with the purchase of a 17-acre vineyard in the Oakville District that was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This fortunate development cast the family among the winemaking pioneers of Napa Valley.
Nils' and Dianna Venge's son, Kirk Venge, gravitated to winemaking at an early age. He proved to be as talented a winemaker as his father, making wines in his own style, with a vision to build on the family legacy. In 2008, Kirk achieved his lifelong dream and acquired full ownership of Venge Vineyards. Today, Kirk continues the Napa Valley heritage, focusing on select vineyard sites that produce fruit worthy of bearing the Venge family name.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.