Winemaker Notes
Apricot and tangerine elements on the nose are met with hints of jasmine, saffron, creme fraiche, and brown sugar. A broad stone-fruit entry on the palate is counter-balanced by notes of grilled orange and fresh fennel, while savory oyster shell and brioche flavors support a long, seamless finish.
Carneros Hills Winery is in the tenderloin of Carneros, south of the Carneros Highway. It is a new winery, established just in 2013. Despite its recent inception the winery has history and tradition behind it, having been the site of the historic Buena Vista Winery on the Sonoma side of the appellation, just over the Napa border. The winery underwent dramatic renovations in 2013-2014, including cutting-edge innovations for artisanal Pinot Noir production: hand-sorting systems, basket presses and a variety of fermentation vessels. Individual barrel rooms provide the ideal conditions for primary and secondary fermentations as well as aging.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.