Winemaker Notes
The historic ranch of Judge Stanly greets visitors to the Napa Valley as they drive up Highway 29 towards the city of Napa and anchors the southeastern corner of the Carneros. The fourth incarnation of grape vines on this property began in 2001 with the development of 350 acres of vines using modern clones, spacing and vertical trellising on the property's clay-loam soils and gently rolling hills.
The 2007 Saintsbury Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir displays a smoky plum nose with notes of dried herbs and a plump mid-palate of morello cherries (or dark cherries) and blackberries. It possesses a long, rich finish with good acid structure and fine tannins. While built for the long term its richness makes it an "I'll have another bottle" kind of Pinot!
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Supple, elegant and stylish, showing rich blackberry and blueberry fruit, with pretty loamy, earthy shadings. Gains traction and depth, ending with firm tannins and a pleasing mineral edge. Drink now through 2013.
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.