Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color, the nose of the 2015 Carneros opens with rich, dark fruit aromas, which slowly give way to notes of dried flowers, pepper, and espresso bean. The palate shows juicy and intense cherry and blackberry flavors, layered with earthier, more floral notes, giving way to a lingering spiciness.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a layered, concentrated wine, richly woven with flavors of blueberry, strawberry, rose and lavender. Medium in weight, the palate feels compressed and thick but lifted by a lingering floral element.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Carneros Estate Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with gregarious notes of Bing cherries, rhubarb and pomegranate with suggestions of black pepper, truffles, forest floor and sautéed herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine frame of grainy tannins and background freshness lifting the red berry and earth flavors to a long finish.
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Wine Spectator
Tight and closed, with an edge of loamy earth, dried herb, cedar, anise and sage, ending with firm, fine-grained tannins. Needs time. Best from 2020 through 2027.
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.