Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A beautiful blend of the best barrels of all the single vineyards and it shows wonderful complexity and thoughtfulness. Layered and complete, giving you so much flavor and deliciousness.
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Tasting Panel
From the best lots on the Golden- eye Estate, this wine aged in French oak for 16 months. Scents of wild cherry and sage are off the charts. Undeniable vibrancy, generous fruit, and floral notes create a mael- strom of flavor and texture that complements the wine's intensely high energy. Earthy, salty notes manifest in a kiss of soil, balsamic, cinnamon, and cedar.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Juicy, ripe cherry fruit is joined by notes of crushed berries in the ripe and wide-open aromas of this supple, very easy-to-get-at young Pinot. If a tad on the soft side in texture, the wine boasts plenty of volume and fruity depth, and its comparatively modest appointment of genteel, very well-integrated, fine grained tannins, while affording it with just enough grip to support a few years of age, imparts so little astringency that it is immensely satisfying right now
Anderson Valley, located in Mendocino County just above Sonoma County, is one of California’s coolest AVAs, allowing it a long growing season. Only 15 miles long, the region makes a slice eastward through the mountains, from the frigid Pacific Ocean. Dramatic diurnal temperature variations here preserve grape acidity and thus freshness in the finished wines. These are prime conditions for growing Pinot Noir, and the valley produces many fine versions. Characteristics of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir typically include crisp acidity, cranberry and strawberry notes as well as earthy notes of forest floor and mushroom.
Still Pinot Noir, however, is only part of the story. Pinot Noir, along with Chardonnay, are also grown for Anderson Valley’s exceptional sparkling wines. Produced via the traditional method, these offer a classic toasty note from lees aging, bright, complex fruit notes and a clean, refreshing character.