Winemaker Notes
No need to debate whether it's a good time for this delightful wine! Butternut Pinot Noir was made to be perfect for any occasion. Crafted from specially-selected Pinot Noir grapes from the best wine regions around California, this choice is versatile enough to pair with whatever is on the menu, be it food or fun! Silky, smooth and flavorful, this wine is dominated by layers of red and dark berries, with aromas of vanilla filling the nose.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Vivid red-fruit character leaps from the glass with prominent notes of candied rhubarb, cherry, and strawberry, leading to a juicy and lithe finish with a wink of playfulness. Rounded without being flabby, this wine is built for drinking year round.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright and spicy, this wine offers aromas of strawberry-rhubarb jam, yellow plum, allspice and notes of orange-blossom honey on the nose. Flavors on the palate are Bing cherry, raspberry and apricot, layered with orange marmalade, clove and a dry finish. Pair with roasted chicken with plums.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.