North Coast

Grape Source   This Pinot Noir comes mostly from two widely separate areas. The first are several small vineyards in the Napa Carneros and the second is the Pauli Vineyard in Mendocino's Potter Valley. This is a similar blend as in the last several vintages of this wine. The two areas are very complementary to each other, with the Carneros fruit given the blend opulent fruit and color, while the Mendocino fruit offers up structure and an earthiness.

Bottling Date    August 12 and 13, 2003  

Sensory Notes:

Nose:  Sensory Notes: Nose - This wine has a nose full of the wonderful richness that good Pinot Noir is famous for-lots of berry aromas, mushroom complexity and toasty oak.

Mouth:  The mouth explodes with blueberry, Bing cherry, anise and toast. Even more striking is the depth and richness of the mouth-feel, like a rich, thick, red pillow for the mouth. The wine is very fruity, with blackberry characters and a big, rich, tarry and solid balance. The oak is refined and quite opulent in its "warm" characters.