Winemaker Notes
Garnet color with aromas of fresh raspberry and strawberry jam, with white floral notes and baking spice. Polished entry with fine, supple tannins. Satiny in texture with bright acidity. Concentrated flavors of red fruit - red cherry and raspberry - cross the palate with a crisp, juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tight, focused pinot with aromas and flavors of fresh cherries and berries, as well as hints of lemons and cream. Medium body. Very fine tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir has a pretty perfume of rose hip tea, fragrant earth, lavender and warm cranberries over a kirsch, black cherries and raspberry preserves core. Light to medium-bodied, it has a firm, chewy texture and loads of freshness, finishing a little grippy yet with compelling savory flavors.
Rating: 90+
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Just northeast of Napa city, Atlas Peak boasts some of Napa Valley’s highest elevation vineyards. Here the intense sunlight coupled with cool, nighttime temperatures produce grapes that are perfectly ripe, balanced and concentrated. The appellation is rich in volcanic soils and excels in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.