Winemaker Notes
Spellbound Pinot Noir has an alluring color and inviting bouquet of rich raspberries, cherries and red currant, vanilla bean and roasted coffee, all in a remarkably approachable glass. The wine is crafted to unleash dark and luscious characteristics, while managing tannins to deliver an opulent and juicy Pinot Noir. Grilled pork chops, roast chicken, lamb curry and meatloaf with roasted vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts. Nutmeg and cinnamon work well with this beautiful Pinot Noir.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.