Winemaker Notes
The 2019 edition of our Estate Pinot Noir packs a range of delicious fruit and savory flavors. Beginning with the nose one encounters mandarin orange, strawberry, red raspberry, and other brambly fruits along with earl grey tea, sassafras, and mossy forest floor. Ten months of barrel age lends a sweetness that balances the supple tannin from this exceptional vintage producing an intense full bodied Pinot Noir. The hallmark of Domaine Carneros Estate Pinot Noir, is the texture, and this wine delivers with a supple and silky mouth feel, and warming finish.
This hand-crafted pinot noir can be enjoyed alone as an aperitif or matched with a diverse group of dishes such as beef, poultry, pork, or grilled salmon, prepared in a variety of culinary styles. Our winemaker TJ loves this wine with hen of the woods mushroom pizza.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Aromas of strawberry, raspberry and hibiscus. Medium-bodied with steely mineral character. Gentle tannins. Roses and juicy berries on the palate. Refreshing.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Dark fruit and soft, supple texture define this estate wine, silky and complete with the appellation's signature funk. Rose-petal aromatics, black-tea and forest notes provide varietal beauty and complexity.
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.