Winemaker Notes
Gnarly Head Pinot Noir takes “the heartbreak grape” for a walk on the wild side. This powerful pinot touts voluptuous aromas of red cherry, vanilla, earth and spice, followed by a rush of black cherry and plum with hints of toasted hazelnut, tobacco and cigar box on the palate.
Supple, sleek tannins and lush fruit make this wine a perfect pair for salami and arugula pizza, slow roasted pork loin, or dry brined chicken stuffed with sausage and peppers.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is rich, lively with aromas of ripe raspberry, cherry cola, sarsaparilla, vanilla, on the nose. The flavors on the midpalate are bright strawberry, cassis, fresh mint, baking spices sliding into bittersweet chocolate and dry tannins. Enjoy with weeknight takeaway.
Best Buy
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.