Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Cuvaison's house style is exemplified in this Pinot, which was so carefully grown and made that it is already seamlessly, obviously delicious. A longstanding verity is that superb wines achieve that status from the outset, and this is one of them.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright red fruits of cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry and cherry burst across the palate, picking up savory flavors and layers of spice through a long finish. Abundant acidity keeps things mouthwatering and brings a lot of lift and life to this wine.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Cuvaison Estate Pinot Noir is one of the truest examples of what makes the Carneros AVA tick. This wine shows aromas and flavors of wild strawberries, faint sandalwood, and an attractive note of chalkiness, making it perfect with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: January 5, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Ripe strawberries, spiced cherries, crushed herbs and dried oranges on the nose. Medium-bodied with mellow, red-fruited character and a round, creamy finish. Juicy and savory.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and charming, offering cherry and boysenberry compote notes dotted with anise and apple wood. Shows a pretty, smoldering spice echo on the finish. Drink now through 2028. 2,278 cases made.
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.