Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Pinot Noir Stanly Ranch, from a vineyard I used to routinely taste with Ed Sbragia when he was the winemaker at Beringer, exhibits a dark ruby color, a meaty, blacker fruit spectrum, medium to full body, and a fleshier, larger-scaled style with some gamey forest floor notes in the background. Very successful for a 2011, this complex Pinot can be drunk now and over the next 4-5 years.
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.