Winemaker Notes
Our goal is to produce a distinctively styled Pinot Noir of the highest quality, a wine that will satisfy Burgundian standards while proudly announcing its California roots. Reflecting a vinification regimen emphasizing gentle handling of the grapes and wine, Etude 2001 Pinot Noir exhibits bright red fruit aromas together with notes of cinnamon and Asian spices. The palate is supple, with rich, round, red fruit and spice flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark for a Pinot, suggesting great extraction, and vibrantly fruity. The flavors are rich and sweet with cherry and black raspberry, accented by Oriental spices and oak. Silky and elegant in the mouth, but a firm backbone of acidity lends structure.
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.