Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright red-berry aromas here with some herbal, tea and chalk notes. Lavender, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Complex, yet restrained, with a mineral, almost dusty feel.
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Tasting Panel
Roses are sweetened by bright red cherry, cinnamon sugar, and spiced cranberry. Burgundian in style, a soft shoe dance, light-hearted, with lovely acidity and a velvet entrance and exit.
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Decanter
Aromas of cranberry, redcurrant, violets and vanilla. The palate is fresh and lush with a vibrant acidity and well-resolved tannins.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Schug Carneros Pinot Noir is lovely, stylish, and focused. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of tart red fruit and savory spices. Pair it with grilled salmon fillets. (Tasted: June 17, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Schug Winery was founded in 1980 with unwavering dedication to Pinot Noir excellence—a specialization that spans 45 years and sets them apart from generalist wineries. Walter Schug, the legendary winemaker who created Joseph Phelps' iconic Insignia, established his legacy in Carneros, where low-intervention Old World winemaking meets California terroir.
Today, 5th-generation German winemaker Johannes Scheid continues this authentic heritage with wines that consistently score 90+ points across their entire portfolio. Johannes trained at Walter's alma mater in Germany, bringing multi-generational European winemaking expertise to their sustainable California practices.
What makes Schug exceptional is their genuine commitment to specialization and authenticity. While others spread their focus across multiple varietals, they've perfected their craft with nearly half a century devoted to exceptional Pinot Noir. This deep expertise, combined with their European winemaking tradition and compelling value proposition, has driven their national expansion and established Schug as a trusted name among wine enthusiasts who appreciate both heritage and quality.
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.