Today’s 2012 Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir was made by our good friend, Rudy Zuidema. Rudy has a winemaking style all his own, and that really shines through in today’s Pinot. One member of our tasting panel declared this wine to be a pinot for Zin lovers. We call it uniquely original - without losing that Carneros character.

This Pinot Noir is surprisingly dense with a gorgeous maroon core spreading out to a ruby edge. The nose is quite fragrant with fruit forward character of cherry, fig, rhubarb, wild strawberry with nice barrel notes of Chinese five-spice. The barrel spice takes on more prominence on the palate, accompanied by notes of tobacco and potpourri. Fruit notes include red and black cherry and plum. A Pinot Noir for Zinfandel lovers - It’s more substantial than your average Pinot offering with a rich mouthfeel, solid tannin backbone serving as a platform for complex flavor. Looking for a Pinot Noir that will stand up to a good BBQ spread? This is it!

Carneros Pinot Noir is revered for its quality, elegance, and smoothness. The Carneros AVA (American Viticultural Area), a wine growing region which straddles the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, has been a great source of wine that we have featured here. The cool Carneros region provides ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both literally thrives there. Today’s Encanto Pinot Noir is representative of the region’s Pinot Noir diversity. This wine is really quite special.