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2016 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard" Pinot Gris

2016 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard" Pinot Gris
About The Vineyard... Starting in 1999, we began an experiment with the Sangiacomo family and Pinot Gris. Based on that initial success, we embarked on a larger scale project, and the Sangiacomo’s planted 2 acres of Pinot Gris exclusively for Ancien, using clones that we imported from Alsace. The rich, clay soils and eastern aspect of the site, coupled with the farming expertise of the Sangiacomo’s, produces ideal fruit for the richer flavored, fuller bodied, well structured Alsatian style that we are striving to produce. The vineyard has matured nicely, yielding consistently ripe fruit with bracing acidity. We are the sole winery that is sourcing Pinot Gris from this special plot, our “vineyard-within-the-vineyard.” About The Vintage... We finally received much needed rain in the winter of 2015, which put us back on the road to having healthier levels of soil moisture. The 2016 vintage began early, much like the previous vintages, and the optimal growing season caused us to speculate that this would be a very early harvest as well. An unseasonably cool spell visited us mid-summer, slowing down growth. After this brief spell, very warm days followed by cool nights finished off the growing season, giving us a great balance of ripe fruit and mouthwatering acidity. While not as early as projected, our harvest still ended up wrapping up long before the rains of October came. About The Wine... We pressed aggressively for maximum extraction of the exotic spices and to gain additional structure. We then separated press fractions in order to insure the proper development of structure and lushness while in barrel. We fermented the must entirely in neutral French oak barrels at a cool 50 °F, capturing and retaining rich fruit flavors while also developing a lush, expansive palate. In addition, we stirred lees to enhance texture and develop additional layers. 374 cases produced. Tasting Notes... Spectacular aromatics are enhanced by a flinty, mineral mouthfeel and lingering finish. Asian pear, summer peach, and honeyed tangerine greet the nose along with fragrant white flowers and fresh Granny Smith apples. The nose is further made complex with whiffs of meringue, clove, and orange zest. On the palate, notes of stone fruit and lemon custard complement the bold fruit notes of mandarin, star fruit and green apple leading to a lingering finish of peach and grapefruit. Pair this with grilled meats, seafood, pastas with olive oil or cream sauces, Asian cuisine...the combination of its rich mid-palate, smooth tannins, and acidic structure make this wine unusually versatile at the table.

2016 Coombsville Mink Vineyard Pinot Noir

2016 Coombsville Mink Vineyard Pinot Noir
About The Vineyard… The Mink Vineyard is located next door to the winery, in the Coombsville Viticultural Area of Napa Valley. Open to the same morning fogs and afternoon breezes that cool Carneros to the west, Coombsville is consistently one of the coolest pockets in Napa. Mink sits inside a small “bowl”, allowing cooler air to settle during the evenings, and making Mink’s mesoclimate a couple degrees cooler, even, than the surrounding hills. But the real secret to Mink’s explosive flavors, smooth, mouth-coating minerality, comes from the soil. Underneath is a layer of compressed volcanic ash, called tufa. The tufa drains the topsoil, storing moisture in its porous structure. The vines are able, with some work, to grow roots into the tufa layer, accessing moisture during the long, dry growing season  About The Vintage… We received much needed rain in the winter of 2015, which put us back on the road to having healthier levels of soil moisture. The 2016 vintage began early, much like the previous vintages, and the optimal growing season caused us to speculate that this would be a very early harvest as well. An unseasonably cool spell visited us mid-summer, slowing down growth. After this brief spell, very warm days followed by cool nights finished off the growing season, giving us a great balance of ripe fruit and mouthwatering acidity. While not as early as projected, our harvest still ended up wrapping up long before the rains of October came. About The Wine… The grapes were destemmed into small, one-ton, open-top fermenters, with traditional hand punch downs, and aged the wine in Billon cooperage, a barrel that tends to sit subtly underneath the delicate fruit, lifting aromas without crowding them. The wines were racked once, gently, prior to bottling.   Grapes, must, and wines were moved using gravity through to the barrel and a gentle push with inert gas through racking and bottling. 268 cases produced. Tasting Notes… This is an approachable vintage of our widely adored offering from just two and a half acres in Coombsville. It is graced with beautifully round blue fruit notes around which dance brighter notes of huckleberry and pomegranate. The finish is dominated with fine, chalky palate coating tannins and minerality that balance the hedonism of the Mink fruit. While this wine is soft and welcoming now, it will in time reveal its underlying depth. Displaying the uniqueness of Coombsville, this luxuriously textural wine will excite the senses with its many complexities.

2016 Coombville Musque Chardonnay

2016 Coombville Musque Chardonnay
A Historic Vineyard... The Old Block of the Haynes Vineyard, located in a cool pocket of the southeastern Napa Valley, is a part of California winemaking history.  Among the vines in the Old Block of Haynes Vineyard Chardonnay, Ken found through examining and tasting the grapes that a handful of these vines showed “musque" characteristics.  A selection of these specific vines led to our Musque Chardonnay. About The Vintage... We received much needed rain in the winter of 2015, which put us back on the road to having healthier levels of soil moisture.  The 2016 vintage began early, much like the previous vintages, and the optimal growing season caused us to speculate that this would be a very early harvest as well.  An unseasonably cool spell visited us mid-summer, slowing down growth.  After this brief spell, very warm days followed by cool nights finished off the growing season, giving us a great balance of ripe fruit and mouthwatering acidity.  While not as early as projected, our harvest still ended up wrapping up long before the rains of October came. About The Wine... Our Musque Chardonnay bottling is the culmination of a multi-year selection process at the Haynes Vineyard in Coombsville.  Grapes were tasted and selected on a vine-by-vine basis evaluating for the rare “musque” character.  The cuttings were then taken and planted to two rows in another section of the vineyard, which yield just a couple barrels each vintage.  The vines are all varietal Chardonnay, but possess the unique clonal traits lending the floral “terpene” aromatics reminiscent of varieties like Muscat, Viognier or Gewurtztraminer - though certainly in more subtle fashion.  This wine was made much in the same way as our other Chardonnays, fermented entirely in French cooperage.  Bottling was done after a total of 9 months in barrel.  68 cases produced. Tasting Notes... An ethereal mélange of fruit-kissed floral notes await you in this bottle!   Honeyed orange blossom greets and then opens up to reveal tropical undertones.  The wine will continue to develop its heady mixture of fruit and floral, becoming more seductive and intoxicating over the next year.   While the lush, opulent texture of this wine point to this is as 100% Chardonnay, its uniquely bright and vibrant aromatics will keep your friends guessing about just what grape could create such a delight for the senses.

2016 Russian River Jouissance Pinot Noir

2016 Russian River Jouissance Pinot Noir
About The Vineyard… Gilbert Perez’s two acre vineyard in the southwestern corner of the appellation, only nominally protected by the coastal hills and open to the maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, is the single source for these grapes.  The soils here are sandy loam and very well drained, typical for the Russian River Valley. The cooler sections of Russian River, near Sebastopol, are known for producing explosive and aromatic fruit flavors balanced with acidity and earthy aromas.  All seventeen rows are planted with Dijon 115 clones, which tend to add perfumed aromas and light spice notes to the lush fruitiness obtained from the soils. About The Vintage... We received much needed rain in the winter of 2015, which put us back on the road to having healthier levels of soil moisture.  The 2016 vintage began early, much like the previous vintages, and the optimal growing season caused us to speculate that this would be a very early harvest as well.  An unseasonably cool spell visited us mid-summer, slowing down growth.  After this brief spell, very warm days followed by cool nights finished off the growing season, giving us a great balance of ripe fruit and mouthwatering acidity.  While not as early as projected, our harvest still ended up wrapping up long before the rains of October came.  About the Wine... We fermented in our one ton, open-top tanks, layering the bottom 25% of each tank with whole clusters of fruit, adding structure and spice notes to the back palate and balancing the otherwise plush fruit of Gilbert’s Vineyard.  A warm fermentation with a combination of native and isolated Burgundian yeasts produced excellent and focused flavor extraction, complemented with traditional punch-downs by hand. The wine was aged entirely in Francois Freres cooperage, half new, and racked once, gently, prior to bottling.  Grapes, must, and wines were moved using gravity through to the barrel and using inert gas through racking and bottling.   173 cases produced. Tasting Notes... Aromas of strawberry and black cherry are followed by notes of toasted hazelnut and cardamom as an introduction to this joyful blend of rich fruit and earthy spice.  The wine opens to a well integrated mid-palate of black berries and cassis.  The round palate is elevated and brightened with a mouthwatering acidity that welcomes this wine to the table.  Floral notes and baking spices are revealed in the satisfying finish.

2014 Napa Valley Musque Chardonnay

2014 Napa Valley Musque Chardonnay
Intense fruit and floral notes blend to make an exceptionally delightful expression of Chardonnay. A very limited production of a very special wine. Not available online, please contact the winery for more information!

2013 Carneros Chardonnay

2013 Carneros Chardonnay
Opulent aromatics of honeysuckle, melon, Asian pear, and fig complement notes of citrus, peaches, lychee, and kiwi. A bright and luscious Chardonnay appropriate for every occasion.

2012 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

2012 Carneros "Toyon Farm"
This wine produces a perky spiciness that melds effortlessly into a rich and palate coating smoothness. Opening with ripe cherry notes, well-spiced with pepper, graphite, and clove, over top aromas of dried plum and strawberry and cranberry.  The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, orange peel, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity. It finishes with long, spicy tannins atop a bright acidity.

2012 Carneros Chardonnay

2012 Carneros Chardonnay
Announced by rich aromatics of melon, pear, and fig accented with Granny Smith apples and tangerine. Chalky, wet stone and graphite add nuance, topped with decadent creme brulee and brioche. Intense palate weight and luscious fruit tannins fill the mid-palate,finishing mouth-filling minerality. Citrus flavors are intermixed with peaches and cream and citron notes and just a hint of pineapple.  Cardamom, and toasty biscotti notes, liven the palate, leading into the finish which is long, layered, and complex.

2012 Carneros Pinot Noir

2012 Carneros Pinot Noir
Rose and violet mix with strawberry, cranberry, and cherry. Ripe plum fills in along with the usual darker touches of graphite, cola, clove, and pepper. The palate is full of textural, mouth-coating tannins lightened with a bright acidity. Fresh cherries, raspberries, and plum dominate. The fruit moves towards a long, tannic finish with earthy spices and piquant minerality.

2012 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard" Chardonnay

2012 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard" Chardonnay
Planted in 1966, the Old Wente selection growing on the top of the hill at Haynes Vineyard continues to produce flavorful grapes that develop into a profound chardonnay that displays an intense presence. Inspired by the classic Chardonnay of Montrachet, this wine is dense, structured, complex, and concentrated coupled with mouthwatering minerality – it is a white wine for red wine drinkers.

2012 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2012 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir
A piquant and energetic nose of blueberry, cherries, and huckleberry pie, floats atop dried currant notes, mushrooms, and wet stone. The palate reveals more stoniness rounded with plum,raspberry, chocolate and currant, spiced with notes of pipe tobaccos. As always, the finish is dominated with the fine, chalky and mineral tannins coating the entire palate and lingering long into the finish

2012 Napa Valley-Coombsville "Haynes Vineyard Old Block" Pinot Noir

2012 Napa Valley-Coombsville "Haynes Vineyard Old Block" Pinot Noir
A Historic Vineyard… In 1966, Pat and Duncan Haynes planted their vineyard to Martini Pinot Noir and Wente Chardonnay. In the 47 years that have passed since then, there have been many significant changes in the science and technology of viticulture. However, not every supposed advance results in an improvement quality. These old school, widely spaced, cane pruned vines have found a most perfect balance point as tended by Fernando Delgado since 1970. He prunes each vine individually, according to its strength and potential, choosing which canes to keep and how many canes and shoots that each vine will grow. There is no technological substitute for this level of knowledge and experience coupled with pure love for the vine and its fruit. Making This Wine... Before the harvest, Ken and Fernando walk these rows together and mark the most flavorful old vines from the original planting. Only the original and healthiest vines are allowed to be included in this limited pick to produce this very special wine. After the careful vine by vine selection in the field, classic Ancien small lot winemaking is performed using one fermenter filled by gravity and punched down by hand. About The Vintage... 2012 was a season of generous weather. Adequate winter rain and soil moisture ensured for a nice start to the growing season devoid of early frost. Ideal bloom conditions provided for a uniform fruit set. A summer of consistent temperatures without notable extremes kept the vines functioning optimally without undue stress. Late season warmth ensured nice ripe tannin and color development. In summary, this was a wonderfully cooperative vintage. 48 cases produced Tasting Notes... A brilliant garnet in color, this is a wine emphasizing grace and balance and the most velvety of textures. The nose is lively and initial fruits of strawberry, cranberry, and dried cherry intermix with blood orange, lilacs, rose petals, and sandlewood. On the midpalate, the fruit concentrates somewhat, revealing fresh summer cherries and ripened, cured black cherries. The palate is especially bright and expansive, with a silken texture. It finishes with a light, understated grip, and moves backward through the finish. The fruits and spices of the palate nicely mirror the nose, however the finish continues to evolve toward more earthen and mineral notes, as it coats the entire palate and continues to reveal new aromas.

2012 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"

2012 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"
Always brimming with earthy, organic aromas, this vintage of Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir is no exception and includes the addition of 20% Pommard clone to our previously used 100% Wadenswil. A generous, dark palate is accompanied with light toasty and floral notes and balanced by nice minerality and acidity. While this wine is delicious to enjoy now, its depth and structure promise to make this a vintage to remember and to enjoy even 5-10 years from now if you can keep the bottles around that long.

2012 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2012 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir
Subtle and alluring, with a finish that goes on for a long, long time. Spices, wood, florals and citrus - this wine has too many descriptors to list here, but you can bet this wine will please the most discerning of palates. The mouth feel is soft and rich, with a considerable acidic lift. Toward the back, it reveals an earthen and tannic strength, and the finish is long and dominated by fine, dry tannins and dried spices and fruits. With age this wine deepens and softens, rewarding the palate, while also exhibiting an even more exotic nose as the bouquet develops.

2012 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2012 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir
This is a bold Pinot Noir, rambunctious in its youth and promising to unfold with grace into its maturity. The nose is densely packed with rich fruits, black cherry, cassis, blackberry, grape blossom, citrus zest, orange blossom, wet slate, cardamom, and blood orange. Intense fresh fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid- palate with focused, ripe flavors of grape, black cherry, cassis, and currants, intermixed with holiday spice, woody notes, cola, and tobacco notes. Brilliant acidity provides brightness and balance while structure, always a strong suit for this wine, is emphasized by mouth-filling tannins. The spicy aromatics continue through the long finish.

2011 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard"

2011 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard"
The wine opens with bold and powerful aromatics. Lemon zest, tangerine, honeydew melon, lychee fruit, marzipan. A second layer reveals key lime pie, honey, fresh baked bread, wet stone, and hazelnut. The palate is bright, with forward notes of citrus and a mid-palate of star fruit, pear, and citrus flavors. A rich mouth feel develops and mingle with tropical fruit and holiday spices for a long finish. Pair this with grilled meats, seafood, pastas with olive oil or cream sauces, Asian cuisine...the combination of its rich mid-palate, smooth tannins, and acidic structure make this wine unusually versatile at the table.

2011 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

2011 Carneros "Toyon Farm"
This wine produces a perky spiciness that melds effortlessly into a rich and palate coating smoothness. Opening with ripe cherry notes, well-spiced with pepper, graphite, and clove, over top aromas of dried plum and strawberry and cranberry.  The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, orange peel, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity.

2011 Carneros Chardonnay

2011 Carneros Chardonnay
Announced by rich aromatics of melon, pear, and fig accented with Granny Smith apples and tangerine. Chalky, wet stone and graphite add nuance, topped with decadent creme brulee and brioche. Intense palate weight and luscious fruit tannins fill the mid-palate,finishing mouth-filling minerality. Citrus flavors are intermixed with peaches and cream and citron notes and just a hint of pineapple.  Cardamom, and toasty biscotti notes, liven the palate, leading into the finish which is long, layered, and complex.  The tannins, minerality, and acidity that are the calling card of well-raised, true Old Wente Chardonnay are in full display.

2011 Carneros Pinot Noir

2011 Carneros Pinot Noir
Rose and violet mix with strawberry, cranberry, and cherry. Ripe plum fills in along with the usual darker touches of graphite, cola, clove, and pepper. The palate is full of textural, mouth-coating tannins lightened with a bright acidity. Fresh cherries, raspberries, and plum dominate. The fruit moves towards a long, tannic finish with earthy spices and piquant minerality. This wine is perfect in its youthfulness.

2011 Coombsville - Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"

2011 Coombsville - Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"
The nose begins with a subtle strand of straw, honey, and a softened whiff of cedar. The nose opens further to a rich melange of spicy melon, figs, dates, and meringue. The palate is immediately bright and fresh, and the mouth-feel is significant and rich, expansive and increasing in intensity. Crisp apple and ripe pear notes emerge from the full-bodied mid-palate, touched with tangerine and orange blossom. The finish is a lengthy and powerful amalgamation of ripe fruit, baking and holiday spices and mouth-filling minerality with a soft, tannic grip. The nose continues to evolve, revealing nuances throughout the finish. This is a Chardonnay worthy of cellaring.

2011 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"

2011 Coombsville-Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"
This is a Pinot Noir that emphasizes elegance and grace, without sacrificing weight and profundity. A nose of blueberry, cherries, and huckleberry pie, floats atop dried currant notes, mushrooms, and wet stone. The palate reveals more stoniness rounded with plum, chocolate and currant, spiced with notes of pipe tobaccos. As always, the finish is dominated with the fine, chalky and mineral tannins coating the entire palate and lingering long into the finish. A singular California Pinot Noir.

2011 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"

2011 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"
Always brimming with earthy, organic aromas, and this vintage is no exception. The rich, tilled earth is peppered with light toasty notes, dried floral perfumes, clover, rose petal and geranium flower. Rich and ripe, the nose shows plenty of blackberry, huckleberry, and wild strawberry. The palate is rich and broad, generous with plum, blackberry, blueberry, with mouth-coating, chocolatey tannins.

2011 Russian River "Jouissance"

2011 Russian River "Jouissance"
Lightly spiced and fruity aromas of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry mix with lavender and rose petal to announce this hedonistic blend of fresh fruit and earthy spice. The wine opens to a broad and soft mid-palate of cherry, cassis, strawberry pie, cherry cola, and ripe raspberry and passion fruit. The palate is well-lifted and brightened with a refreshing acidity that welcomes this wine to the table. The finish brings out dried fruits, plums, figs, pepper, tobacco, and cinnamon and cigar box.

2011 Sonoma Mountain

2011 Sonoma Mountain
About the Vineyard... The Red Dog Vineyard sits atop Sonoma Mountain on the cool, western side. It was planted in 2000 by Tom and Debbie Engel. This vineyard was planted in order to replace the heralded Steiner Vineyard, and we used cuttings from our Mink Vineyard--a proprietary heirloom selection of Swan Pinot Noir. The vineyard is situated on the eastern face of a ridge, and the top is just under 1000 feet elevation. At this height, the vineyard is almost continually cooled by Pacific currents moving inland through the Petaluma Gap The soils are some of the most ancient soils in Sonoma County and have been leached of nutrients by wind and rain for aeons. It is a truly spectacular vista point but a challenging place to grow grapes. About the Vintage... 2011 began cool, with later bud break. Flowering and fruit set was disrupted by heavy and uncharacteristically late rain storms. This limited fruit production considerably resulting in significantly lower yields, sometimes as low as half of typical production. The summer remained cool--one of the coolest on record--pushing the harvest date back further into September and yielding wines with a tremendous, bright acidity. In the end, vineyard management and assiduous farming practices helped to insure that this well-situated vineyard ripened properly, with rich, mouth-filling tannic structure. About the Wine... The grapes were destemmed into our one ton, open top fermenters and cold soaked for 4 days. We punched down by hand 4 times per day at the beginning of fermentation. This was decreased to 2 times per day by the end of fermentation. We innoculated with RC 212 yeast (a Burgundian isolate) and fermented warm, peaking about 94°, with additional maceration and skin contact. The wine was aged entirely in French barrels from the Tonnellerie Remond cooperage, and a majority of those barrels were new. The wine was racked once prior to bottling. Wine movements were made by pushing with inert gas all the way until bottling. 197 cases produced. Tasting Notes... Subtle and alluring, with a finish that goes on for a long, long time. This vineyard is maturing nicely, exhibiting its dramatically unique terroir within a package of quiet and exotic beauty. The nose opens to an exotic perfume of candied raspberry, rose hips, cherry, and orange peel, followed by more organic and rich aromas of cigar, cedar, and forest floor. Spiced throughout with orange peel, cinnamon, lavender, and sage. The fruit expands in the glass and fills the palate with fresh pomegranate, boysenberry, black cherry, cherry preserve, ripe plums, dried cranberries, and hints of geranium, dried mushroom, clove, and mandarin. The mouth feel is soft and rich, with a considerable acidic lift. Toward the back, it reveals an earthen and tannic strength, and the finish is long and dominated by fine, dry tannins and dried spices and fruits. With age this wine deepens and softens, rewarding the palate, while also exhibiting an even more exotic nose as the bouquet develops. Cellar this wine for anywhere from 6-12 years, and beyond.

2011 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

2011 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"
This is a bold Pinot Noir, rambunctious in its youth and promising to unfold with grace into its maturity. The nose is densely packed with rich fruits, black cherry, cassis, blackberry, grape blossome, citrus zest, orange blossom, wet slate, cardamom, and blood orange. Intense, fresh fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid-palate with focused, ripe flavors of grape, black cherry, cassis, and currants, intermixed with holiday spice, woody notes, cola, and tobacco notes.

2010 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard"

Tangerine, key lime, meyer lemon, Asian pear, orange blossom, and honey--with a whiff of lilac and jasmine--provide the exotic backdrop to our Pinot Gris. The palate is bright, with forward notes of citrus and a mid-palate of tropical fruit, apple, pear, and citrus flavors. A rich mouth feel develops and mingle with tropical fruit and holiday spices for a long finish. Pair this with grilled meats, seafood, pastas with olive oil or cream sauces, Asian cuisine...the combination of its rich mid-palate, smooth tannins, and acidic structure make this wine unusually versatile at the table.

2010 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

2010 Carneros "Toyon Farm"
This wine produces a perky spiciness that melds effortlessly into a rich and palate coating smoothness. Opening with dried cranberry and floral notes, well-spiced with clove, cardamom, and cinnamon, over top aromas of plum and strawberry and cocao. The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, bramble berries, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity. The palate moves seamlessly towards a darker finish, with the fruit flavors developing into a dried fruit complexity coupled with tobacco and dark chocolate and a zesty minerality.

2010 Carneros Chardonnay

2010 Carneros Chardonnay
Announced by bold, powerful aromatics, with rich fruits, melon and fig accented with Granny Smith apples and Asian pear. Chalky, wet stone and graphite add nuance, topped with decadent creme brulee and brioche. Intense palate weight and luscious fruit tannins are countered by a full, zesty acidity that lifts and carries the fruit towards the finish, layering atop the mouth-filling minerality that carries throughout the entire finish. Citrus flavors are intermixed with peaches and cream and citron notes and just a hint of pineapple. Cardamom, and toasty biscotti notes, liven the palate, leading into the finish which is long, layered, and complex. The tannins, minerality, and acidity that are the calling card of well-raised, true Old Wente Chardonnay are in full display.

2010 Carneros Pinot Noir

2010 Carneros Pinot Noir
A well-structured, rich, and textural Pinot Noir with a supple roundness on the palate. The nose is full of fruit and spice, opening with aromas of plum, black cherry, strawberry, clove, rose petals and sandalwood. The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, bramble berries, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity. The palate moves seamlessly towards a darker finish, with the fruit flavors developing into a dried fruit complexity coupled with tobacco and dark chocolate and a zesty minerality.

2010 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"

2010 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"
This is a Pinot Noir that emphasizes elegance and grace, without sacrificing weight and profundity. A nose of blueberry, cherries, and huckleberry pie, floats atop dried currant notes, mushrooms, and wet stone. The palate reveals more stoniness rounded with plum and pluot, chocolate and currant, spiced with notes of pipe tobaccos. As always, the finish is dominated with the fine, chalky and mineral tannins coating the entire palate and lingering long into the finish. A singular California Pinot Noir. Drinks well now and is a Chef’s boon companion. Will mature with grace for 8-12 years.

2010 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"

2010 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"
Always brimming with earthy, organic aromas, and this vintage is no exception. The rich, tilled earth is peppred with light toasty notes, dried floral perfumes, clover, rose petal and geranium flower. Rich and ripe, the nose shows plenty of blackberry, huckleberry, and wild strawberry. The palate is rich and broad, generous with plum, blackberry, blueberry, with mouth-coating, chocolatey tannins.

2010 Russian River "Jouissance"

2010 Russian River "Jouissance"
About the Vineyard...Gilbert Perez’s two acre vineyard in the southwestern corner of the appellation, only nominally protected by the coastal hills and open to the maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, is the single source for these grapes. The soils here are loose, sandy, and well-drained, typical for the Russian River Valley, and known for producing explosive and aromatic fruit flavors balanced with acidity and earthy aromas.  All seventeen rows are planted with Dijon 115 clones, which tend to add perfumed aromas and light spice notes to the lush fruitiness obtained from the soils. About the Vintage...2010 was a challenge to the nerves as well as a chance for experienced wine makers to strut their stuff.  In other words, those with experience were advantaged with the working knowledge of how best to manage their vineyards and to keep their fruit clean and healthy.  Heavy spring rains were followed by a summer season that was significantly cooler than average.  A mid-season heat spike, with temperatures suddenly topping 100, left a percentage of clusters burned up and dried out.  The coolness helped to temper the vigor of this site and limited yield as well, producing dense flavors.  The fruit was in the hopper before the early fall rains bedeviled many area vineyards, so rot was not a problem. About the Wine...We fermented in our one ton, open-top tanks, layering the bottom 25% of each tank with whole clusters of fruit, adding structure and spice notes to the back palate and balancing the otherwise plush fruit of Gilbert’s Vineyard.  A warm fermentation with a combination of native and isolated Burgundian yeasts produced excellent and focused flavor extraction, complemented and completed with traditional punch-downs by hand. The wine was aged entirely in Francois Freres cooperage, half new, and racked once, gently, prior to bottling.  Grapes, must, and wines were moved using gravity through to the barrel and using inert gas through racking and bottling.   212 cases produced. Tasting Notes...As dense and hedonistic as ever, this vintage produced a wine of beautifully luscious flavors from this site.  Black cherry, cherry cola, plums, cassis, chocolate, and tilled earth on the nose.  Similar dark and juicy fruit flavors explode on the palate, expanding throughout the mid-palate while also revealing hints of red fruits and underlying layers of pepper, vanilla bean, espresso bean, cinnamon, clove, and cacao.  Smoky tannins draw out a finish of light strawberries and plums.  Time will temper the structured opening somewhat and bring out subtle layers of spice and the silken texture that hides behind the powerful fruit for the next 8-10 years.

2010 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard"

2010 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard"
Subtle and alluring, with a finish that goes on for a long, long time. This vineyard is maturing nicely, exhibiting its dramatically unique terroir within a package of quiet and exotic beauty. The nose opens to an exotic perfume of candied rapsberry, rose hips, cherry, and orange peelcigar, cedar, followed by more organic and rich aromas of cigar, cedar, and forest floor. Spiced throughout with orange peel, cinnamon, lavender, and sage. The fruit expands in the glass and fills the palate with fresh pomegranate, boysenberry, black cherry, cherry preserve, ripe plums, dried cranberries, and hints of geranium, dried mushroom, clove, and mandarin. The mouth feel is soft and rich, with a considerable acidic lift. Toward the back, it reveals an earthen and tannic strength, and the finish is long and dominated by fine, dry tannins and dried spices and fruits.

2010 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix"

2010 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix"
This is a bold Pinot Noir, rambunctious in its youth and promising to unfold with grace into its maturity. The nose is densely packed with rich fruits, black cherry, cassis, blackberry, grape blossome, citrus zest, orange blossom, wet slate, cardamom, and blood orange. Intense, fresh fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid-palate with focused, ripe flavors of grape, black cherry, cassis, and currants, intermixed with holiday spice, woody notes, cola, and tobacco notes. Brilliant acidity provides brightness and balance, while structure, always a strong suit for this wine, is emphasized by mouth-filling tannins. The spicy aromatics continue through the long finish.

2009 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard"

Tangerine, key lime, honeysuckle, Asian pear, orange blossom, and honey--with a whiff of marzipan and jasmine-- provide the exotic backdrop to our Pinot Gris. The palate expands and softens into round melon flavors mixed with apricot, meyer lemon and ripe tangerine. This vintage the palate produces a pleasant and pronounced lime zest flavor. Mineral and spice notes mingle with tropical fruit for a long finish. Pair this with grilled meats, seafood, pastas with olive oil or cream sauces, Asian cuisine...the combination of its rich mid-palate, smooth tannins, and acidic structure make this wine unusually versatile at the table.

2009 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

A brooding, well-structured, rich, and textural Pinot Noir. The nose is pronounced and spicy, opening with dried cranberry and floral notes, well-spiced with clove, cardamom, and cinnamon, over top aromas of plum and strawberry and cocao. The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, bramble berries, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity.

2009 Carneros Chardonnay

Powerful, focused fruit announces the wine immediately.  Nectarine, yellow peach, key lime, citric zest, lemon cream, and Asian pear overlay complex notes of fig, brioche, ripe melons, and cardamom.  Intense palate weight and luscious fruit tannins are countered by a full, zesty acidity that lifts and carries the fruit towards the finish, layering atop the mouth-filling minerality that carries throughout the entire finish.   The tannins, minerality, and acidity that are the calling card of well-raised, true Old Wente Chardonnay are in full display.  This is a wine to enjoy now, in its youth, however, its truest personality and complete depth will continue to unfold for several years to come.

2009 Carneros Pinot Noir

A brooding, well-structured, rich, and textural Pinot Noir. The nose is pronounced and spicy, opening with dried cranberry and rose petal, well-spiced with clove, cardamom, and cinnamon, over top aromas of plum and strawberry and sandalwood. The palate is dominated by an almost visceral layer of mouth-coating tannins and mid-palate flavors of cherry, plum, strawberry, bramble berries, and balanced with a bright, palate-lifting acidity. The palate moves seamlessly towards a darker finish, with the fruit flavors developing into a dried fruit complexity coupled with tobacco and dark chocolate and a zesty minerality.

2009 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"

Take the intense profundity of the 2007 Mink and combine it with the sheer elegance of the 2008 vintage from this vineyard, and you begin to understand the pleasing balance of the 2009. A powerful and generous nose opens with aromatics of blueberry, rich earth, and cassis interwoven with lilac and lavender, with notes of wild mushroom and cocoa. The palate is all dark fruits, brambly berries and black raspberry, spiced again with cocoa and cardamon. As usual, the acidity is bright and crisp, and the chalky fine tannins linger long and coat the palate with a distinctive minerality. With age, this wine will develop a broad, deep, and rich palate, balanced with bright and youthful fruit notes.

2009 Oregon "Shea Vineyard"

The nose is announced with a bright, spiced fruit aroma of strawberries and cherries and a pronounced earthiness. Dried mushrooms, cloves, forest floor, and holiday spices provide the introduction to dried fruits and the subtly of fresh cut roses, geraniums, and clover. The fruit on the palate is lush and palate filling, bramble berries and black cherries, black raspberries, all carrying a hint of earthy spice.

2009 Russian River

The nose on this wine is uncharacteristically spicy, emphasizing a rich spiciness typically saved for the back of the palate for this wine. Cinnamon, clove, and mint lay atop the rich black cherry, cherry cola, plums, cassis, strawberry pie, and tilled earth on the nose. Similar dark and juicy fruit flavors explode on the palate, expanding throughout the mid-palate while also revealing hints of red fruits and underlying layers of pepper, vanilla bean, espresso bean, and cacao. Smoky tannins draw out a finish of light strawberries and plums.

2009 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard"

The nose opens to an exotic flush of roses, lilacs, holiday spices, dried mushrooms, along with ripe cherries and candied plum. The fruit expands in the glass to include fresh black cherry, cherry preserve, ripe plums, dried cranberries, and hints of geranium and pipe tobaccos. The palate is rich and concentrated, with the fruit flavors tending toward plum, black cherry, and pomegranate. Boysenberry and strawberry are hinted at as the acidity lifts the mid-palate. The palate fills with an earthen and tannic strength and the finish is long and dominated by fine, dry tannins and dried fruits.

2009 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

Intense, fresh fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid-palate with focused, ripe flavors of strawberry, cassis, and currants. The nose is enticing and layered, with fresh fruits laying over top of orange peel, holiday spices, tobacco, and stony earth. Good acidity provides brightness and balance, while structure, always a strong suit for this wine, is emphasized by mouth-filling tannins. The spicy aromatics continue through the long finish. This a wine that will lay down nicely for a decade or longer, filling out the palate with rich, organic, and earthy flavors, while its strong tannins resolve into a silken and even longer palate.

2008 Carneros

The nose is bold, a bit flashy even, and full of ripe melon, Asian pear, and tropical fruits. Jasmine, citrus zest and the tangy notes of meringue spice the fruitiness along with a whiff of brioche and brulee. The wine progresses into tastes and aromas of crisp apple, lychee nut, and juicy fruit flavors of pear, peach, and lime. The palate is crisp and fresh, thanks to a well-balanced acidity that lasts through to the finish and melts into this wine’s signature minerality.

2008 Carneros "Sangiacomo Vineyard" Pinot Gris

Tangerine, honeysuckle, Asian pear, orange blossom, and honey--with a whiff of marzipan and jasmine--provide the exotic backdrop to our Pinot Gris. The palate expands and softens into round melon flavors mixed with apricot and ripe tangerine, finishing with a smooth viscosity braced by key lime and acidity. Mineral and spice notes mingle with tropical fruit for a long finish. Pair this with grilled meats, seafood, pastas with olive oil or cream sauces, Asian cuisine...the combination of its rich mid-palate, smooth tannins, and acidic structure make this wine unusually versatile at the table.

2008 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

As usual, this is a brooding Pinot Noir, emphasizing dark flavors and rich textures. However, the nose is more pronounced than usual leading with whiff of kirsch and dried rose petals, hinting towards dried cranberries and strawberries with ripe plums accented by cacao, clove, cardamom, cinnamon. The palate opens with more spices and mid-palate of plum, strawberry, and cherry. The palate continues to develop richness, a significant tannic mouth-feel and bramble berries.

2008 Carneros Pinot Noir

2008 Carneros Pinot Noir
As usual, this is a brooding Pinot Noir, emphasizing dark flavors and rich textures. However, the nose is more explosive than usual leading with ripe berries kirsch, dried rose petals, strawberries and ripe plums accented by cacao, clove, and cardamom. The palate opens with more spices and mid-palate of plum, strawberry, and cherry. The palate continues to develop richness, filling the mouth nicely with round, ripe fruits. The weight is nicely counter-balanced by a bright acidity, and the finish moves again towards dried fruits, tobacco and dark chocolate, with a lingering and rich minerality. The wine is well-structured and will continue to gain depth and subtly for next next 5-8 years.

2008 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"

The nose begins with a subtle strand of straw, honey, and a softened whiff of cedar. The nose opens further to a rich melange of spicy melon, figs, dates, and meringue. The palate is immediately bright and fresh, and the mouth-feel is significant and rich, expansive and increasing in intensity. Crisp apple and ripe pear notes emerge from the full-bodied mid-palate, touched with tangerine and orange blossom. The finish is a lengthy and powerful amalgamation of ripe fruit, baking and holiday spices and mouth-filling minerality with a soft, tannic grip.

2008 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"

2008 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"
Light in color, gossamer in texture, this is a wine emphasizing grace and balance and subtle textures. The nose is airy and lively, belying its complex and layered nature. Initial fruits of strawberry, cranberry, and dried cherry intermix with butterscotch, blood orange zest, lilacs, rose petals, and sandlewood. On the midpalate, the fruit concentrates somewhat, fresh summer cherries and ripened, cured black cherries. The palate is especially bright and expansive, with a silken texture.

2008 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard"

Elegance is the mainstay of this vintage from the Mink Vineyard. A lighter, brighter than normal nose is generous and fruity, with aromatics of blueberry and cassis interwoven with lilac and lavender. A note of wild mushroom and cocoa roots the aromas in the soil. The palate is all dark fruits, brambly berries and black raspberry, spiced again with cocoa and cardamon. As usual, the acidity is bright and crisp, and the chalky fine tannins linger long and coat the palate with a distinctive minerality.

2008 Russian River Pinot Noir

Black cherry, plums, blackberry, cassis, strawberry pie, and candied violet layer over top of hidden whiffs of cherry cola, cinnamon, tilled earth, holiday spice, and aromatic tobaccos on the nose. Similar dark and juicy fruit flavors explode on the palate, expanding throughout the mid-palate while also revealing hints of red fruits and underlying layers of pepper, vanilla bean, espresso bean, and cacao. Smoky tannins draw out a finish of light strawberries and plums. Normally considered our most hedonistic Pinot Noir, the 2008 vintage from the Russian River emphasizes this unctuous and indulgent side of the often sophisticated Pinot Noir grape.

2008 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard"

2008 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard"
The nose opens to an exotic flush of roses, lilacs, holiday spices, dried mushrooms, and dried cherries.  The fruit expands in the glass to include fresh black cherry, cherry preserve, ripe plums, dried cranberries, and hints of geranium and pipe tobaccos.  The palate is rich and concentrated, with the fruit flavors tending toward plum, black cherry, and pomegranate.  Boysenberry and strawberry are hinted at as the acidity lifts the mid-palate.  The palate fills with an earthen and tannic strength and the finish is long and dominated by fine, dry tannins and dried fruits.  

2008 Sta Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

This wine exemplifies the concentration of flavors that we found to be so typical of the 2008 vintage.  Intense, fresh dark fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid-palate with focused, ripe flavors of strawberry, cassis, and currants.  The nose is enticing and layered, with fresh fruits laying over top of holiday spices, tobacco, and stony earth.   Good acidity provides brightness and balance, while structure, always a strong suit for this wine, is emphasized by mouth-filling tannins.

2008 Willamette Valley "Shea Vineyard"

The nose is announced with a deep, spiced fruit aroma and a pronounced earthiness. Dried mushrooms, cloves, forest floor, and holiday spices provide the introduction to dried fruits and the subtly of fresh cut roses, geraniums, and clover. The fruit on the palate is dark and concentrated, bramble berries and dried cherries, black raspberries, all carrying a hint of earthy spice. Acidity is balances the intensity of the fruit and leads the palate nicely into the long finish of fine tannins and earthy mineral notes.

2007 Carneros "Toyon Farm"

2007 Carneros "Toyon Farm"
This is a brooding Pinot Noir, emphasizing dark flavors and rich textures. The initial nose is subdued, hinting towards dried cranberries and blueberries with ripe plums accented by cacao, clove, cardamom, cinnamon and a whiff of kirsch and dried rose petals. The palate opens with more spices and mid-palate of plum and black cherry. The palate continues to develop richness, a significant tannic mouth-feel and bramble berries. The weight is nicely counter-balanced by a bright acidity, and the finish moves again towards spices and dried fruits, tobacco and dark chocolate.

2007 Carneros Chardonnay

2007 Carneros Chardonnay
Power, opulent and layered fruit:melon, clementine, nectarine, yellow peach, figs, key lime, and lemon cream aromas are layered above brioche, cloves, cardamon, and crème brulleé. Powerful, ripe apple, pear, and citrus flavors coupled with minerality and lush textures of fruit tannins and lees present a palate that is both mouth-filling and lengthy. The fruit flavors and rich textures continue through the finish, uplifted by bright citrus notes and acidity. As the finish lingers, the wine strikes a compelling balance between texture, minerality, and acidity.

2007 Carneros Pinot Gris

2007 Carneros Pinot Gris
Tangerine, honeysuckle, grapefruit, Asian pear, orange blossom, and honey--with a whiff of marzipan--provide the exotic backdrop to our pinot gris. The palate expands with soft and round melon flavors and a smooth viscosity braced by key lime and acidity. Mineral and spice notes mingle with tropical fruit for a long finish.

2007 Carneros Pinot Noir

2007 Carneros Pinot Noir
The nose opens with a burst of fresh, just-ripened cherry fruits moving towards a richer dried cranberry and kirsch, spiced with chocolate, cloves, and baking spices. Aromas open up to exhibit an exotic, perfumed overlay of sarsaparilla, cola, sandalwood, rose petal and lilac. The palate is well-structured, exhibiting a balanced basket of black, brambly fruit, plum, ripe cherry and strawberry, spiced with cardamom and dark chocolate. The midpalate is lush and deep, lifted with a fresh wash of acidity and followed by mouth-filling tannins.

2007 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard Old Block"

2007 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard Old Block"
The key word for describing this wine is elegance. Lighter in color, gossamer in texture, this is a wine emphasizing grace and balance and subtle textures. The nose is airy and lively, belying its complex and layered nature. Initial fruits of strawberry, cranberry, and dried cherry intermix with butterscotch, blood orange zest, lilacs, rose petals, and sandlewood. The fruit deepens somewhat, giving whiffs of fresh summer cherries and ripened, cured black cherries. The palate is especially bright and expansive, with a silken texture. It finishes with a light, understated grip, and moves backward through the finish. The fruits and spices of the palate nicely mirror the nose, however the finish continues to evolve toward more earthen and mineral notes, as it coats the entire palate and continues to reveal new aromas. This is a wine that delivers a unique look into the history of California Pinot Noir, and it promises a long and vibrant life in the cellar.

2007 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"

2007 Napa Valley "Haynes Vineyard"
The initial nose of tropical fruits, citrus zest, apple and ripened Asian pears, is touched with straw, honey, and a softened whiff of oak and cedar. The nose opens further to a rich melange of spicy melon, figs, dates, and meringue. The palate is immediately bright and fresh, and the mouth-feel is significant and rich, expansive and increasing in intensity. Pineapple and tangerine notes emerge from the full-bodied mid-palate. The finish is a lengthy and powerful amalgamation of ripe fruit, baking and holiday spices and mouth-filling minerality with a soft, tannic grip. The nose continues to evolve, revealing nuances throughout the finish.

2007 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2007 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir
This vintage produced a brooding wine. Look for depth and complexity, with slow, subtle development over the course of a meal or a tasting. The nose opens to rich arrangement of dried blueberries, fresh raspberries, pomegranate, and ripe red apples, with a whiff of mint interwoven into the fruits. Dark chocolate, coffee, black tea, and tobacco notes provide a counterpoint to the fruit, reminding one of the deep structure of this wine. The palate moves towards darker fruits, plums, blueberry, and blackberry, showing a surprising brightness and lift in balance with the rich flavors and intense structure of the tannin. The wine finishes with Mink Vineyard’s signature chalky minerality, a mouth-coating and rich flavor.

2007 Russian River Pinot Noir

2007 Russian River Pinot Noir
The nose and palate of this wine present a consistent mirror to one another, with subtle changes that work forward from the long, finishing nose and and lingering after-taste. The fresh, unctuous fruitiness shows wild cherry, ripe raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry, lifted with a delicate whiff of candied violets and rose petals. Deeper notes of smoke, toast, pepper, coffee, cacao, and tobacco and a gripping tannic finish add layers of sophistication to the hedonism of the fruit. This wine brings to mind the classic Pinot Noir descriptive, “An iron fist in a velvet glove.”

2007 Santa Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2007 Santa Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir
Typical of this vineyard, the wine opens with a vibrant, spiced nose of cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, and clove, underlaid with earthy tones. Intense, fresh red fruits lead the palate, settling on the mid-palate with focused, ripe flavors of strawberry, cassis, and currants. Good acidity provides brightness and balance, while structure, always a strong suit for this wine, is emphasized by mouth-filling tannins. The spicy aromatics continue through the long finish. This vintage produced a softer, more mineral tannin than previous years, yielding a wine that is voluptuous in its youth, yet promises to age with grace for the coming decade.

2007 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2007 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir
A pretty, effusive floral nose of rose petals and lilac, infused with sage, cedar, tobacco, and cinnamon. The palate leads with ripe soft strawberries and sweet huckleberry, growing into a full-bodied and tannic mid-palate coated in rich, dark tones of plum, blackberry, boysenberry, cacao, and tobacco. Finished with a lingering earthiness under traces of the leading red fruits. This is decadent vintage for this vineyard, showing off the yin/yang nature of this wine in its fullest.

2006 Carneros "Toyon Farm" Pinot Noir

2006 Carneros "Toyon Farm" Pinot Noir
The nose abounds with fresh cherry, plum, raspberry, and lilac, with a whiff of clove and dried herbs. The palate opens to lush, ripe strawberry with some tannic weightiness. A nice acidic uplift is followed by layers of dense, brooding, and darker flavors: black cherry, cocoa, and blackberry. It finishes with earthiness, toasted woods, and a lingering dried and fresh fruits from stretching from the beginning. Ages beautifully, 5-10 years.

2006 Carneros Chardonnay

2006 Carneros Chardonnay
Opulent and layered fruit: tangerine, melon, nectarine, white peach, figs, and lemon cream aromas are layered above brioche, holiday spices and crème brulleé. Exceptional richness fills out the palate with minerality and lush fruit textures, uplifted by citrus notes and acidity. The finish lingers, balancing between richness, minerals, and acidity.

2006 Carneros Pinot Gris

2006 Carneros Pinot Gris
Lemon, tangerine, honeysuckle, melon, green apple, and grapefruit provide the exotic backdrop to our Pinot Gris. Lemon zest, spice, almond paste, and subtle tropical notes echo in the flavors on the palate accompanied by creamy texture that is a little tight upon release. Nice acidity, mineral, spice, and key lime flavors drive the wine through to the finish. The wine will develop nicely in the months and years ahead.

2006 Carneros Pinot Noir

2006 Carneros Pinot Noir
The nose abounds with fresh cherry, plum, raspberry, and lilac, with a whiff of clove and dried herbs. The palate opens to lush, ripe strawberry with some tannic weightiness. A nice acidic uplift is followed by layers of dense, brooding, and darker flavors: black cherry, cocoa, and blackberry. It finishes with earthiness, toasted woods, and a lingering dried and fresh fruits from stretching from the beginning. Ages beautifully, 5-10 years.

2006 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2006 Napa Valley "Mink Vineyard" Pinot Noir
The Mink Vineyard is located next door to the winery, in an area known locally as Coombsville. Open to the same morning fogs and afternoon breezes that cool Carneros to the west, Coombsville is consistently one of the coolest pockets in Napa. Mink sits on a level bench just leeward of a knoll that slows down the prevailing maritime winds, allowing cooler air to settle, and making Mink’s microclimate a couple degrees cooler, even, than the surrounding hills. But the real secret to Mink’s explosive flavors, smooth, mouth-coating minerality, comes from the soil. Underneath the top few feet of alluvial clays and cobblestones (typical throughout the southern reaches of Napa), is a layer of compressed volcanic ash, called tufa. The tufa drains the top soils, storing moisture in rich clays underneath. The vines are able, with some work, to grow roots into the tufa layer, accessing moisture during the long, dry growing season. In a typical year, Mink can be practically dry-farmed.

2006 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2006 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Explosive blueberry, plum and blackberry fruit dominate the nose with youthful aromas. On the palate the wine reverberates these dark fruits while unfolding further into layers of candied fruits, dark chocolate, cola, tobacco, and lingering minerality. Deeply concentrated with a firm underlying structure, a bright uplift, and great length, the lushly textured palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. This wine will continue to unfold for 5 - 7 years.

2006 Russian River Pinot Noir

2006 Russian River Pinot Noir
Our Russian River Pinot Noir is sourced from the cooler, western side of the Russian River Valley closer to the chilly Pacific breezes and less protected by coastal hills. The wine is produced entirely from Dijon 115 and grown on characteristic sandy Russian River soils. Formerly having produced the flavorful Gravenstein apples Sebastopol is known for, these soils transition nicely to produce explosively fruity Pinot Noirs with bright cherry flavors and spice. We find the Russian River designate to be the most approachable and hedonistic of all our Pinots.

2006 Russian River Pinot Noir

2006 Russian River Pinot Noir
Juicy cherry, lush raspberry, and strawberry fruit followed by layers of red licorice, cola, pepper and baking spices. Velvety texture with lush sweet cherry, strawberry fruit, and spice echoing on the palate in a long, lingering finish with bright acidity. The wine is flashy and hedonistic, in the Russian River tradition! Drinks well at release or will age 4 – 7 years.

2006 Santa Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2006 Santa Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" Pinot Noir
Deep color hints of the wine's intense blend of black and red fruits, pepper, red licorice, blackberry preserves, black tea, and with nuances of Indian spices, violets, cardoman, and a slight gaminess. The wine dense and firmly structured with round tannins. An intense wine on the muscular side of Pinot, we recommend you lay this wine down for 6 months to 6 years and watch the layers unfold.

2006 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir

2006 Sonoma Mountain "Red Dog Vineyard" Pinot Noir
Elegant floral notes of violets, cranberry, dried roses, fresh herbs, truffle, and black tea. Orange peel, cherry raspberry predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral notes of the nose finishing with underlying tannins to age well. The wine is showing beautifully now, but experience indicates it will continue to develop deeper and more complex layers over the next 6 - 10 years.

2005 Carneros Pinot Gris

2005 Carneros Pinot Gris
Familiar aromas of tangerine, honeydew, melon, green apple, and grapefruit provide the exotic but familiar backdrop to our Pinot Gris. Lemon zest, spice, almond paste, and subtle tropical notes echo in the flavors on the palate accompanied by creamy texture that is a little tight upon release. Crisp acidity and key lime flavors drive the wine through to the finish. The wine will continue to flesh out in the months and years ahead with additional layers and complexities to follow.

2005 Carneros Pinot Noir

2005 Carneros Pinot Noir
Racy cherry, cola, raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors are layered upon denser brooding flavors with spice, smoke, slight meatiness, and darker blackberry and black cherry flavors. Dark chocolate, sandalwood, violets and a slight earthiness add layers to the rich fruit. Nuances of smoke, toasted wood and baking spices linger in the finish. The wine will continue to develop in the months and years ahead. Drink now or age 5 - 9 years.

2005 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2005 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Blueberry ,plum and blackberry fruit layered upon dark chocolate, wet stone, and lingering minerality in the plate. Its bright fruit opens up to show nice concentration and weight on the palate with a firm underlying structure and great length. The palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. This wine will continue to unfold for 6 - 10 years.

2005 Russian River Pinot Noir

2005 Russian River Pinot Noir
Juicy cherry, raspberry, and strawberry fruit followed by layers of red licorice, toast, pepper and baking spices. Velvety texture with lush sweet cherry, strawberry fruit, and spice echoing on the palate in a long, lingering finish with bright acidity. The wine is flashy and hedonistic, in the Russian River tradition! Drinks well at release or will age 4 – 6 years.

2005 Santa Rita Hills

2005 Santa Rita Hills
Deep color hints of the wine’s intense blend of black and red fruits, cranberry, red licorice, blackberry preserves, black tea, and surprising notes of pepper, cassis and slight gaminess. The wine is supple in the palate with firm structure at the end. An intense wine on the muscular side of pinot noir. Drinkable at release or age 7 – 9 years and watch additional layers unfold.

2005 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2005 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Juicy raspberry, cherry, and anise are accented by floral aromas of orange zest, dried roses, violets,, truffle, and black tea. Raspberry, cherry and anise predominate on the palate framed by firm tannins and balanced by nice acidity. The finish is reverberates the perfumed aromatics of the nose. The wine is well structured at release and will benefit from time in the glass to slowly reveal all its complexities.. Drink or Hold up to 10 – 15 years.

2004 Carneros Chardonnay

2004 Carneros Chardonnay
Opulent and layered fruit: green apple, pear, figs, lime, tangerine zest, freesia, ripe apple, and lemon cream aromas layered above creamy yeast notes, cocoa and crème brulleé. Exceptional richness with mineral notes framing the lushly textured palate. The finish is long and focused with nicely balanced acidity. The wine will continue to develop beautifully in bottle over the next 3 - 4 years gradually showing more minerality and even more concentration in the the finish.

2004 Carneros Pinot Gris

2004 Carneros Pinot Gris
Aromas of tangerine, honeydew, melon,green apple, and grapefruit zest echo in the flavors on the palate accompanied by rich and creamy texture, refreshing acidity and exotic key lime flavors in the finish. Firmly structured, the wine will continue to flesh out in the months and years ahead with additional layers and complexities to follow.

2004 Carneros Pinot Noir

2004 Carneros Pinot Noir
Dense, brooding flavors with spice, smoke, sl. Meatiness, and dark layered fruit ranging from blackberry, black cherry, to brighter strawberry, raspberry and violet notes. Dark chocolate, sandalwood and a slight earthiness add layers to the rich fruit. Nuances of smoke, toasted wood and baking spices linger in the finish. The wine will continue to develop in the months and years ahead. Drink now or age 5 - 7 years.

2004 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2004 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Explosive blueberry,plum and blackberry fruit dominate the youthful aromas. On the palate the wine reverberates the blueberry/plum/blackberry fruit but unfolds further into layers of dark chocolate, wet stone, and lingering minerality. Deeply concentrated with a firm underlying structure and great length. The lushly textured palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. This wine will continue to unfold for 5 - 7 years.

2004 Russian River Pinot Noir

2004 Russian River Pinot Noir
Lively and lush up front fruit with sweet cherry, raspberry, strawberry, and pomegranite, followed by layers of red licorice, toast, pepper and baking spices. Velvety texture with lush sweet cherry/strawberry fruit and spice echoing on the palate in a long, lingering finish with bright acidity. Hedonistic in the Russian River tradition! Drinks well at release or will age 4 – 6 years.

2004 Santa Rita Hills

2004 Santa Rita Hills
Deep color hints of the wine’s intense blend of black and red fruits, cranberry, red licorice, blackberry preserves, black tea, and surprising notes of pepper, cassis and slight gaminess. The wine is supple in the palate with firm structure at the end. An intense wine on the muscular side of Pinot. Drinkable at release or age 7 – 9 years and watch additional layers unfold.

2004 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2004 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Floral aromas of orange zest, dried roses, fresh herbs, truffle, and black tea. Orange peel, cherry and plum predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral notes of the nose finishing with underlying tannins to age well. Drink or Hold 7 – 12 years.

2003 Carneros Chardonnay

2003 Carneros Chardonnay
The wine is densely flavored, rich, and layered with broad forward fruit, freesia, ripe apple, and lemon cream aromas layered above creamy yeast notes, cocoa and vanillin. Exceptional richness and fruit intensity with mineral notes framing the opulently textured palate. The finish is long and focused with nicely balanced acidity. This is a more forward vintage than 2002 from the outset, with accentuated mineral and tropical fruits upon release. The wine will continue to develop beautifully in bottle over the next 3 - 4 years.

2003 Carneros Pinot Noir

2003 Carneros Pinot Noir
Lushly textured with spice and dark layered fruit ranging from blackberry, black cherry, to brighter strawberry and raspberry notes. Rich dark chocolate, sandalwood and a slight earthiness add layers to the rich fruit. Framed by nuances of smoke, toasted wood and baking spices. Nice acidity and velvety tannins carry through in the long finish. Drink now or age 4 - 6 years.

2003 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2003 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Blackberry, cocoa, and plum, dominate the youthful aromas. On the palate the wine is loaded with black cherry/blackberry fruit, blackberry jam, dark chocolate, and tar. Deeply concentrated, full bodied, with excellent texture and firm underlying structure. The palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. This wine will continue to unfold for 5 - 7 years.

2003 Russian River Pinot Noir

2003 Russian River Pinot Noir
Bing and black cherry fruit, plum, cola, sage, smoke, pepper and baking spices in the nose. Velvety texture with lush sweet cherry fruit and spice echoing on the palate in a long, lingering finish.. The wine possesses a forward and hedonistic approachability but with bright acidity and balanced tannins that will allow continued development over time.

2003 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2003 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Floral aromas of orange zest, dried roses, fresh herbs, truffle, and black tea. Orange peel, cherry and plum predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral notes of the nose. Drink or Hold 6 – 9 + years.

2002 Carneros Chardonnay

2002 Carneros Chardonnay
The wine is big, rich, and layered with juicy fruit, freesia, ripe apple, and lemon cream aromas layered above creamy yeast notes, cocoa and vanillin. As the wine opens, the complexity of the wine shows, display additional nuances of macadamia nuts and tropical fruits. Exceptional richness and fruit intensity with mineral notes framing the opulently textured palate. The finish is long and focused with nicely balanced acidity.

2002 Carneros Pinot Noir

2002 Carneros Pinot Noir
Full bodied, dense and layered fruit ranging from blackberry, black cherry, to brighter strawberry and raspberry notes. Rich dark chocolate, sandalwood and a slight gaminess/earthiness add layer in to the predominating fruit. All this is framed by nuances of smoke, toasted wood and baking spices. Beneath the sweet fruit are round tannins providing nice structure and focused acidity ensuring excellent length and a nice balance boding well for medium term aging. Drink now or age 5 - 7 years.

2002 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2002 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Blueberry, spice, blackberry and plum, dominate the youthful aromas. On the palate the wine is loaded with black cherry/blackberry fruit, dark chocolate, and tar. Deeply concentrated with a firm underlying structure and great length. The palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. This wine will continue to unfold for 5 - 7 years.

2002 Russian River Pinot Noir

2002 Russian River Pinot Noir
Bing and black cherry fruit, sandalwood, smoke, pepper and baking spices in the nose. Lush, sweet fruit predominates on the palate delineated by an excellent sense of focus and length. At release, the wine continues to flesh out days after being opened - displaying that the best is yet to come! Finishes long with a supple texture and balanced acidity.

2002 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2002 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Floral aromas of sage, violets, orange zest, dried roses, truffle, and black tea. Orange peel, cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture but possesses a firm underlying structure. Finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral notes of the nose. Drink or Hold 10 +years.

2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
For us, the Oregon Pinot possesses elegant perfume of dried roses, plum, boysenberry, and forest floor, with a beautifully textured mid-palate, nice structure, and distinct earth nuances underlying it all. The earthiness (coming across more as a forest floor/humus character) and aromatics are the most distinctive from our other bottlings. The wine has developed more slowly than our other bottlings with the exception of the Sonoma Mountain designate - but we feel it has the balance to age very well.

2001 Carneros Chardonnay

2001 Carneros Chardonnay
The wine is big, rich, and layered with juicy fruit, freesia, ripe apple, and lemon cream aromas layered above creamy yeast notes, cocoa and vanillin. As the wine opens, the complexity of the wine shows, display additional nuances of macadamia nuts and tropical fruits. Exceptional richness and fruit intensity with mineral notes framing the opulently textured palate. The finish is long and focused with nicely balanced acidity.

2001 Carneros Pinot Noir

2001 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Layered aromas of raspberry, rich blackberry and black cherry fruit with spice, coffee, cocoa/chocolate. The palate is full and velvety in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit and bright acidity. The wine has underlying tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 5 – 8 years.

2001 Russian River Pinot Noir

2001 Russian River Pinot Noir
Bing cherry fruit, slight. smokiness, spice, and toast are followed by deeper tones of pepper and black cherry in the aromas. The wine is broadly textured and bright with rich sweet fruit and racy spice on the palate. Finishes long with a supple texture and balanced acidity. The wine continues to open up in the glass hinting to additional structure and depth to evolve with bottle aging.

2001 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2001 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Floral aromas of sage, violets, orange zest, dried roses, truffle, and black tea. Black cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral notes of the nose. Drink or Hold 7 - 10 years.

2000 Carneros Chardonnay

2000 Carneros Chardonnay
Honeydew melon, ripe apple, ginger, freesia, and lemon aromas are echoed in the palate. Layers of baked apple, pear, and melon are framed by a flinty/mineral finish with creamy vanillin providing support to the focused finish. Nice acidity provides a refreshing balance and vibrance to the wine. Viscous in texture and opulent in its intensity, this wine will continue to develop in bottle over the next several years.

2000 Carneros Pinot Noir

2000 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Layered aromas of raspberry, rich blackberry and black cherry fruit with spice, coffee, cocoa/chocolate. The palate is full and velvety in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit and bright acidity. The wine has underlying tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 5 – 8 years.

2000 Carneros Pinot Noir

2000 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color with violet overtones. Layered aromas of wild blueberry, rich blackberry/black cherry, cassis, and chocolate. Wispy sandalwood notes rise above the fruit tones. The palate is full with chewey/chocolatey tannins and expansive fruit. At first it is surprisingly dark (for Pinot noir) in its fruit expression on the palate, with time aromatic nuances open up. The finish is long and focused with lingering fruit and bright acidity. The wine has underlying tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 5 – 8 years.

2000 Diablo Pinot Noir

2000 Diablo Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color with violet overtones. Layered aromas of wild blueberry, rich blackberry/black cherry, cassis, and chocolate. Wispy sandalwood notes rise above the fruit tones. The palate is full with chewey/chocolatey tannins and expansive fruit. At first it is surprisingly dark (for Pinot noir) in its fruit expression on the palate, with time aromatic nuances open up. The finish is long and focused with lingering fruit and bright acidity. The wine has underlying tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 5 – 8 years.

2000 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

2000 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Aromas tend toward baking spices, blueberry, blackberry and plum, deep toned fruit, dark chocolate, and tar. Deep and concentrated with a firm underlying structure and great length. The palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. Remains tight - will benefit from additional bottle age.

2000 Russian River Pinot Noir

2000 Russian River Pinot Noir
Whiffs of smoke and toast are followed by white pepper, spice, bing cherry and black cherry in the aromas. The wine is broad and bright with rich sweet fruit and leather undertones on the palate. Finishes long with a supple texture. A forward and hedonistic vintage!

2000 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

2000 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Very aromatic with exotic spices, sage, violets, dried roses, truffle nuances, and black tea. Black cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral aromas in the nose. Drink or Hold 7 - 10 years.

1999 Carneros Chardonnay

1999 Carneros Chardonnay
About the Vineyard... Beginning in 1999, we shifted our sourcing to a 28 year old block of old Wente Chardonnay from the Ferguson vineyard (formerly a Buena Vista leased property). The rocky soils and brisk winds conspire to make this an austere site with low vigor and very exposed vines. The resultant wines are more intensely mineral with broad texture and deep rich flavors. We will continue to blend this with a small amount of old clone Chardonnay from Sangiacomo'sVella block. These "old Wente" Chardonnay cuttings are reputed to have been purchased by the Wente nursery from Paul Mason who imported them from Burgundy in the early 1940s from Louis Latour's Corton Charlemagne vineyard. We think of these selections as "heirloom" clones as they produce wines of exceptional concentration, breadth, complexity and longevity. There is less and less of this material available. As the old vineyards are replanted, few are anxious to replant to old Wente as the crop level is very low. About the Vintage... One of the coolest years on record. The Carneros harvest was several weeks later than the harvest in Burgundy! After a bleak and frigid September that had all of us thinking we were making wine in Iceland, a heat spell provided just the push to bring ripeness to ideal levels. We saw tremendous flavors with good acidity and structure. The 1999 vintage posesses more opulence than the rather tight and austere 1998 vintage and better structure than the 1997 vintage. About the Wine... We gently pressed the grapes as whole clusters, settled and fermented entirely in French Oak, of which 45% was new. We used a variety of yeasts, including native yeast, and three Burgundian coopers chosen for their synergism and support of the fruit. Fermentation proceeded slowly at cool temperature, averaging 56°F. The wine was aged on its lees, which were stirred weekly through May. the wine was not racked until bottling, a t which time it was moved with inert Argon gas. Malolactic fermentation was 30% complete. Wine analysis: Alc. 13.7%, pH 3.42, ta 6.2 g/l. 600 cases produced. Tasting Notes ... Freesia, ginger spice, green apple, and lemon custard aromas are echoed in the palate. Layers of baked apple, pear, and melon are framed by a flinty/mineral finish with creamy vanillin providing support to the focused finish with nice crisp acidity. Viscous in texture and opulent in its intensity, this wine will continue to develop in bottle over the next several years.

1999 Carneros Pinot Noir

1999 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Intense aromas of spice, coffee, cocoa/chocolate, rich blackberry and black cherry fruit with sl. earthy nuances. The palate is full and velvety in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit and bright acidity. The wine has underlying tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 5 - 7 years.

1999 Napa Valley Pinot Noir

1999 Napa Valley Pinot Noir
Aromas tend toward baking spices, blueberry, blackberry and plum, deep toned fruit, dark chocolate, and tar. Deep and concentrated with a firm underlying structure and great length. The palate brims with mouth watering black fruits followed by clove, cinnamon, spice in the finish. Remains tight - will benefit from additional bottle age.

1999 Par Avion

1999 Par Avion
This elegant wine possesses violets, rose petals, bright red fruits, cherry/huckleberry, wet stone, earth/forest floor nuances and a pronounced mineral character. The wine is tighter than its California siblings, possessing firm acidity that bodes well for medium to long term aging. 45 cases produced.

1999 Russian River Pinot Noir

1999 Russian River Pinot Noir
Whiffs of smoke and toast are followed by white pepper, spice, bing cherry and black cherry in the aromas. The wine is broad and bright with rich sweet fruit and leather undertones on the palate. Finishes long with a supple texture.

1999 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

1999 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Very aromatic with exotic spices, sage, violets, dried roses, truffle nuances, and black tea. Black cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral aromas in the nose. Drink or Hold 7 - 10 years.

1998 Carneros Chardonnay

1998 Carneros Chardonnay
About the Vineyard... Our Chardonnay comes from a hillside vineyard in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. The clonal selection of the vineyard is varied resulting in kind of a field blend. Most California Chardonnay comes from "certified" clones of Chardonnay made available from UC Davis. These clones produce grapes with large berries, clusters and generous crops. "Vineyard selections", on the other hand, are often a mix of clones making complex and concentrated wines. Each vineyard selection is rather unique in that different vines are selected for each propagation. The origins of the different clones within any selection sometimes date back many years and may be relatives of an originating vineyard in Burgundy. This selection is intensely floral and fruity with just a touch of muscat character. About the Vintage... Strange year. This El Nino year provided a few surprises, such as an August rainstorm, but by and large it was very even with a cool "stretch run" that I'd love to have every year. The weather provided the opportunity for excellent development of flavors. The fruit retained above average acidity due to the cool weather that will result in slower development but will bode well for medium term ageing. The challenges were site specific, and dependent on crop level, susceptiblity to botrytis (management and site dependent), and timing of ripening as well. We were fortunate to have practically no botrytis as the windy, exposed site provided the conditions to quickly dry the fruit. About the Wine... The grapes were pressed as whole clusters and cold settled. The wine was then racked to barrels for fermentation. A selection of different yeasts were used for complexity. We selected a blend of two Burgundian coopers - Francois Freres and Damy - for their synergism. The former providing complex flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg spices, the latter, providing sweetness and richness in support of the fruit. The wine was then aged on its fermentation lees for the 11 months leading up to bottling. Stirring of the lees was done at each topping a l l the way through July - giving the wine a lush, supple texture. The wine was bottled at the end of August. Wine analysis: Alc. 14%, pH 3.36, ta 6.2 g/l. 400 cases produced. Tasting Notes ... Aromatic fruit, freesia, apple, mandarin, lemon merangue, and toast characterize the exotic nose and echo through on the palate. Subtle vanillin, toasted nuts, provide complexity to the intense tropical fruit and rich, full bodied flavors. Finish is long and focused, with nice crisp acidity providing definition and balance.

1998 Carneros Pinot Noir

1998 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Intense aromas of spice, coffee, cocoa/chocolate, rich blackberry and black cherry fruit with sl. earthy nuances. The palate is full and velvety in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit and bright acidity. The wine has good tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 6 - 9 years.

1998 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

1998 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Very aromatic with exotic spices, sage, violets, dried roses, truffle nuances, and black tea. Black cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral aromas in the nose.

1997 Carneros Chardonnay

1997 Carneros Chardonnay
About the Vineyard... The 1997 Chardonnay comes from a hillside vineyard in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. With excellent drainage and southwest facing slope. The site is cooler than many in Carneros as it is not sheltered from the breezes coming off of San Pablo Bay. The clonal selection of the vineyard is varied resulting in kind of a field blend. Most California Chardonnay come from "certified" clones of Chardonnay made available from UC Davis. These clones produce grapes with large berries, clusters and generous crops. "Vineyard selections", on the other hand, are generally a mix of clones making complex and concentrated wines while usually cropping lower. Each vineyard selection is rather unique in that different vines are selected for each propagation. The origins of the different clones within any selection sometimes date back many years and may be relatives of an originating vineyard in Burgundy. This selection is intensely floral and fruity with just a touch of muscat character. About the Vintage... 1997 was a bit of a dicotomy, consisting of a very warm June and July and ending with a rather long, cool stretch in September - punctuated by a few short hot spells. The vineyard yields were plentiful, but the warmth carried the fruit to full ripeness earlier than usual. The grapes developed impressive flavor intensity and tended toward juicy ripe tropical fruits. About the Wine... The grapes were pressed as whole clusters and cold settled. The wine was then racked to barrels for fermentation. A selection of different yeasts were used for complexity. We selected a blend of two Burgundian coopers - Francois Freres and Damy - for their synergism. The former providing complex flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg spices, the latter, providing sweetness and richness in support of the fruit. The wine was then aged on its fermentation lees for the 11 months leading up to bottling. Stirring of the lees was done at each topping a l l the way through July - giving the wine a lush, supple texture. The wine was bottled at the end of August. Wine analysis: Alc. 14.3%, pH 3.30, ta 6.2 g/l. 325 cases produced. Tasting Notes ... Aromatic fruit, freesia, apple, mandarin, lemon merangue, and toast characterize the exotic nose and echo through on the palate. Subtle vanillin, toasted nuts, provide complexity to the intense tropical fruit and rich, full bodied flavors. Finish is long and focused, with nice crisp acidity providing definition and balance.

1997 Carneros Pinot Noir

1997 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Intense aromas of spice, cocoa/chocolate, deep blackberry and black cherry fruit with sl. earthy nuances. The palate is full in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit and bright acidity. The wine has good tannic structure and will age nicely, unfolding additional layers with time. Drink or hold 6 - 8 years.

1997 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir

1997 Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir
Aromatic with exotic spices, sage, violets, dried roses, truffle nuances, and black tea. Black cherry and blueberry fruit predominate on the palate framed nicely by subtle vanillin, cocoa and toasted oak. The wine is velvety in texture and finishes with very long, lingering flavors echoing the floral aromas in the nose.

1996 Carneros Pinot Noir

1996 Carneros Pinot Noir
Deep garnet color. Intense aromas of black cherry, raspberry, cocoa/chocolate, spice, and sl. earthy nuances. The palate is smooth and velvety in texture, bursting with blackberry/cherry fruit, anise, chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long and focused with lingering bright fruit. Drink now or hold 5 -7 yrs.

1995 Carneros Pinot Noir

1995 Carneros Pinot Noir
Dark red fruits: Black cherry and Blackberry, chocolate, cola, sl. anise/spice and toasty aromas in the nose. broad palate with focused blackberry and dark cherry fruit following through in the mouth. Coffee, toasted grains, and sweet vanillin provide complexity to the flavors. The typically firm tannins and acidity give the wine exceptional structure.

1994 Carneros Pinot Noir

1994 Carneros Pinot Noir
Lush fruit with black cherry and Blackberry, chocolate, cola, sl. anise/spice and toasty aromas in the nose. Blackberry and dark cherry flavors follow through in the mouth, filled out by round, supple and ripe tannins. Coffee, toasted grains, and earth tones add layers and dimension to the concentrated and long palate.

1993 Carneros Pinot Noir

1993 Carneros Pinot Noir
Lush blackberry and black cherry flavors with anise and spice layered over plum, dark chocolate, and coffee flavors. The palate reverberates with lingering blackberry fruit, mint, and spice. The wine is generously textured with a long finish. Drink or hold 3 - 6 years.

1992 Carneros Pinot Noir

1992 Carneros Pinot Noir
Blackberry, cherry, cassis, anise, slight mint and bay leaves in the aromas overlaid on plummy, anise, cola, dark chocolate, and coffee flavors with lingering blackberry fruit and spice. Great length and complexity! Drink or hold 5 - 7 years.