Pinot Noir

Winemaker Description

The wine owes much of its complexity to its varied upbringing, unifying grapes from California's most notable winegrowing regions. Meiomi Pinot Noir brings you structure and depth seldom seen in a Pinot Noir wine, thanks to its unique and meticulous aging process.

Aged for six months in French oak barrels, this California red wine's juicy strawberry flavor and notes of dark berries and toasted mocha add complexity and depth on the palate.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

The Wine Enthusiast 91 Points by Tonya Pitts | Vibrant, with aromas of Bing cherry and dark plum and notes of cinnamon, potpourri, and Tahitian vanilla bean on the nose, the flavors on the palate are fresh strawberry, dried cranberry, raspberry cream, White grapefruit zest, dried bay leaf, integrated tannins, and a dry, mouth-watering finish. Aerate and pair with roast whole chicken 

Winemaker Description

Black cherry, cacao, and pomegranate with a smooth, lingering finish. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins.

Handcrafted from high-quality vineyards in California’s coastal regions — from Monterey and San Benito in the central coast, to Suisun Valley in the north. The diversity in soil and climate from these AVAs contribute to this wine’s remarkable balance and depth of character. Grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness and then destemmed in order to express bright fruit flavors and maintain freshness.

The Pinot Project Pinot Noir offers notes of dark cherry, blackberry, and cacao with a smooth, lingering finish. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins.

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins writes:  One of our favorite recommendations for the past three years, Gerard Boulay Sancerre Rose is made of 100% Pinot Noir and is certain to make your mouth water!  The wine is balanced between juicyness and acidity, with obvious red berry notes.  Boulay’s Sibylle Rose is made from mature 35 to 40+ year old vines, in the village of Chavignol, where many believe the best Sancerre is made.  - 67Wine Buyer

Expert Review - Vintage 2024

Vinous by Rebecca Gibb writes 94 Points | The 2024 Sibylle is a fabulous Ros. There was no red made at Boulay in 2024 and what would normally go in the reds made it into the Sibylle. As a result, this is a high-quality, intensely concentrated style. There's an element of fleshiness, but then here comes the acidity to tie it all up. This is sophisticated, pale and vinous. Its a proper pink.

Winemaker Notes

Unlike many Sancerre Roses, Gerard harvests his Pinot specifically to make rose by direct press, then into tank. It is not a selection of young vines as he has no young Pinot vines. What makes the rosé one year could make red another, and vice versa, depending on what the vintage gives. 

Varietals: Pinot Noir. Organic: Practicing. Vineyard: From 35-40 year old Pinot Noir vines on the steep hillsides in front of the Boulay home in Chavignol. Orientation: Multiple parcels, varied exposure. Soil: Steep clay hillside. Viticulture: Gerard works the soil manually and lets nature make the wine. Vinification: Tank fermented. Boulay adds no yeast and minimal amounts of SO2. Aging: Tank aged. Production: 200 cases annually.

Winemaker Description

An undeniably juicy Pinot Noir that bursts with cherries, raspberries and a touch of cassis. Rich flavors of fresh fruit join with soft oak to create a beautifully long, smooth finish filled with sweet vanilla.

This wine goes well with roasted mushrooms, duck breast and dog-earing another page in your favorite book.

Winemaker Description

Elouan is the result of California winemaker, Joseph Wagner (Caymus), heading North to Oregon, one of the world’s renowned Pinot Noir regions and producing Pinot Noir with depth of flavor, vibrancy and suppleness.

Harmonious and elegant on the palate with flavors, of rich red plum, bright cherry, subtle earthiness and a hint of sweet tobacco, creating complex layers with soft, refined tannins.

Expert Reviews

Bart Hopkins of 67wine.com | A cornucopia of aromas swirl from the glass, unmistakably Oregonian, with enticing layers of spiced plums, dark berries, violets, cloves, wildflowers and exotic herbs. In the mouth, the flavors become robust and expansive with superb depth and definition that follow through into the finish. Smooth tannins compliment the luscious fruit with charming succulence. Delicious!

Winemaker Desscription 

The production area for this wine is the whole of Burgundy. The Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir comes from a balanced blend of Côte d'Or, Saône et Loire (Mercurey, Buxy) and Irancy. Grapes originating from Côte de Nuits, Saône et Loire and Irancy will bring deep tannins while grapes coming from Côte de Beaune will bring more fruitiness.

The 2023 Bourgogne is an exceptionally elegant Pinot with complex aromas of plums, raspberries and cherries and fresh red fruit flavors in the mouth with earthy floral, mushroom and mineral notes and balance acidity.

Serve with roasted chicken, pork or grilled fish.

Expert Review

The 67 Wine Petit Somm Series® is a project created by our buyer, Oscar Garcia Moncada. The entire lineup offers a meticulously curated collection of high-quality, value-driven wines. The artwork on the labels represents some of the most iconic neighborhoods and landmarks in NYC.

Tasting Notes: Strawberry and spiced wood on the nose, smooth and round on the palate with excellent structure and balance. Excellent Pinot Noir to pair with a great Beef Carpaccio with Capers. 

Winemaker Description 

Cool breezes and damp fog build character in this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. 

Elegant and balanced, this wine showcases the lush fruit and finesse typical of the Russian River. The nose opens with delicate aromas of crushed violets and ripe raspberries, layered with subtle earthy tones and a hint of tea leaf.

On the palate, it is soft and inviting on entry, with a round, supple texture, offering flavors of candied red fruit, wild strawberry, and herbal undertones, all framed by a fine dusting of well-integrated tannins.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Gold & Best of Class  |  2024 Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Challenge
Gold, 92 points  |  2024 Sunset International Wine Competition

Winemaker Description

Pale and delicate pink with violet hues, obtained from short contact with Pinot Noir skins. Lively, elegant and persistent perlage. Fruity nose of golden apple, white peach and small berries, intermingled with floral notes of spring flowers. Exuberant, lively and fragrant on the palate. Refreshing acidity well balanced with fruitiness to create full, enveloping and almost creamy sensations. A modern trendy aperitif for discerning palates and a versatile companion to a variety of foods.

Zardetto Prosecco DOC Rosé is the ideal companion of every joyful cheers with friends. At the same time, it is perfect with avocado and shrimp’s salad, cream cheese tarts and raw shellfish. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

Winemaker Description

As their house cuvee, Lemelson's Thea's Selection is a blend from their five organic, estate vineyards that span three different Willamette Valley AVAs. As such, it is a wonderful representation of the vintage across all their sites. The nose is inviting and earthy with black cherry, black currant and plum fruit that is nuanced by subtle notes of black tea, chocolate, mushroom, and lavender. This wine is rich and supple with silky tannins and a juicy core which transitions into a long finish that leaves the taste of brambly fruit on the palate. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

The Wine Enthusiast by Tonya Pitts writes 89 Points | This wine's nose has fresh aromas of youthful strawberry, watermelon, and citrus zest. The palate is lively with raspberry jam, vanilla cream, orange peel, clove, a combination of supple tannins, and a dry finish.

Winemaker Description

Murphy-Goode Pinot Noir comes from vineyards up and down the coast of California, including Arroyo Seco, Santa Maria Valley, and Monterey. Cool conditions in these prime growing spots keep grapes at a perfect balance between vibrant dark fruit character and bright acidity. Notes of vanilla from aging in French and American oak add complexity to the intense black cherry aromas and flavors.

Winemaker Description 

Argyle Pinot Noir 2023 is a rich and complex wine that showcases the unique terroir of the Willamette Valley. With its range of flavors from juicy red cherry to blackberry, it evolves with exotic spices like star anise, peppercorn, and black tea. The wine is carefully fermented in small vessels to extract pillowy and refined tannins, while preserving its striking acidity, making it a youthful and age-worthy Pinot Noir.

This Pinot Noir is perfect for those who appreciate the depth and complexity of a well-crafted wine. The Argyle Pinot Noir 2023 is a perfect pairing for a variety of dishes, from grilled salmon to roasted duck or even mushroom risotto.

Hervé Rafflin’s La Nature’l Extra Brut is a premier cru Champagne that offers a pure and elegant expression of the Montagne de Reims terroir. Made primarily from 80% Pinot Meunier, complemented by 15% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir, this champagne delivers bright citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit, alongside orchard fruits like green apple and white peach. The underlying floral tones and a subtle touch of baked bread add complexity to its light, acid-driven body, resulting in a vibrant and refreshing experience. With a dosage of only 1.8 grams per liter, the wine’s extra brut classification enhances its crisp, dry finish.

Winemaker Notes

This vivacious and insanely refreshing wine is characterized by notes of citrus, white flowers and baked bread. The juice’s bright, salivating acidity leads to a long-lasting finish. The wine pairs perfectly with fresh cheeses, buttered popcorn and raw bar favorites. ‘La Nature’L’ is the leading cuvée at Rafflin and is the most widely produced/sold bottling at the estate.

Hervé Rafflin took over his small family winery back in 2001, though his familial roots in Champagne date back to the 1840s. The estate’s 5 hectares are situated in the heart of the Montagne de Reims in the villages of Chigny-les- Roses, Ludes, Rilly la Montagne and Taissy.

A little over half of the vines are dedicated Pinot Meunier, with the rest rounded out by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vines average 30-40 years in age and as of 2021 are certified organic.

The estate puts out anywhere from no more than 5,000 to 13,000 bottles annually, depending on the vintage. To say we are a small production Champagne would be an understatement. 

Delicious, unpretentious, and always reflective of the growing season and the unique terroir of the Montagne de Reims. At Rafflin, nature dictates business, not demand. 

• Grapes: 26% Pinot Meunier, 36% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir. 60% 2016 + reserve wines.
• Soil/Terroir: 1er cru Chigny les Roses - lignite clay, green marl, Bartonian limestone, Ludian limestone (Upper Eocene, between 41 and 38 million years old), Campanian chalk, colluvium, marl
and Thanetian sand.
• Farming Practices: Organic (in conversion).
• Vinification: Malolactic fermentation with exogenous yeasts and dosage limited to 1.8 g/l.
• Aging: Aged in stainless steel tanks for 8 months.
• SO2: added at harvest and before bottling.
• Alc/Vol: 12.5
• Number of bottles produced: 9000

Winemaker Description

A dominant fruitiness (blackcurrant, cherry), blackberries with a small spicy note. A supple and round on the palate with melted tannins and a beautiful length with a lot of finesse.

Perfect with red meats, either grilled or roasted, cold cuts, vegetable salads, meat or poultry tarts, simmered beef and vegetables (pot-au-feu). Veal, cold tabbouleh, or hard cheeses like Gouda.

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

The Wine Specatator 92 Points | A sleek and vibrant red, offering medium-bodied flavors of cherry and cranberry that take on green tea and forest floor accents as this builds toward zesty tannins.

Winemaker Description 

Bright cherry and raspberry aromas complement notes of cinnamon and delicate violet, while the palate strikes a balance between juicy plum and boysenberry and complex, earthy cola and leather, finishing with chalky tannins and hints of crème brulée.

Vintage 2023 required experience and patience that was rewarded with essential hang-time and ripening. The growing season started cool, then May sunshine brought an average bloom in mid-June followed by a glorious summer. We enjoyed many classic 80-degree Willamette Valley days, with nighttime highs staying down in the 50s even in August, typically the warmest month here in Oregon. The only exception to these consistent diurnal swings was a single big heat spike in mid-August. We anticipated picking in early September. However, some fortuitous rain events allowed us to push back harvest and we were thankful for the additional hang time.

Harvest came early, but not too early. We brought in beautiful fruit and we were pleased to still be picking Pinot noir into early October. When you have fast accumulation of fruit sugars, cool weather can be a welcome respite with even small amounts of rain helping the grapevines regulate and slow ripening. One of the reasons why Oregon Pinot Noir is so prized is for its freshness of fruit, and you can only get that vibrancy when it’s under 50 degrees during picking.

2023 brought amazing fruit quality, but our production was down, especially on cool climate white wines like Pinot Gris. Being an estate grown winery, we must follow Mother Nature’s lead as we cannot buy fruit to increase production. Smaller yields do mean a smaller crop and less wine, but we embrace vintage variation. Another great benefit of being estate grown is that it’s our decision exactly when to pick. Rather than rushing to bring fruit into the cellar, in 2023 were able to play the odds and wait out the rain on blocks that needed additional hang time to get the flavor development we needed.
Vineyard

Our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is made with 100% estate grown fruit from all six of our vineyard sites: The Winery Estate, Mount Richmond, Five Mountain, Clay Court, Goodrich and Windhill. These sites are comprised of both Pommard and Dijon plant material, with multiple clones represented.

Because we draw from vineyards representing all three of the major Willamette Valley soil types, we are able to pick and choose for different flavor components to make the best possible blend each year for our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Some people call this making wine “spice rack” style, we usually just call it delicious. Our goal is the perfect version of what we believe a Willamette Valley Pinot should be: a wine with freshness of fruit, well-integrated alcohol, and great concentration of flavor.

Winemaker Description

The California Pinot Noir is an elegant, well-balanced wine offering mouthwatering flavors of Bing cherry and strawberry accented beautifully with just a touch of spice and hints of forest floor. The wine is light in body, with a medium finish and pairs perfectly with a variety of lighter dishes.

Winemaker Description

The 2023 Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir displays enticing aromas of pomegranate, white tea, and raspberry. Lively and energetic with flavors of dried fig, white truffle, and ripe cherry fruit. Savory in texture with notes of wild herbs and peppery spice on the finish.

Winemaker Description 

The word "Balade" is French for wandering.  This is a fitting term for our annual exploration of single-vineyard pinot noir blocks on the west coast.  Each vintage, we will bottle only the most compelling and nuanced expression of pinot noir from a single selected vineyard and release it as a limited bottling.

Dark Purple-violet tones with enticing aromas of blackberry and boysenberry notes.  Sophisticated on the palate with flavors of black cherry, wild blackberry and jammy plum.  Balanced and structured, this wine has beautiful acidity that lingers through to a long, mouthwatering finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

Matt Kettmann of the Wine Enthusiast writes 92 Points | Dried cherry, baked plum and a full spice rack of aromas show on the nose of this bottling. Tense, slightly sappy tannins frame the sip, where black plum, stewed cherry and bay leaf flavors lead into a wood smoke-kissed finish.  

Winemaker Description

Lush, layered and complex, this enticing Pinot Noir draws you in with aromas of ripe raspberry and black cherry, as well as notions of pennyroyal, clove and sweet baking spices. On the palate supple tannins and elegantly balanced acidity frame juicy flavors of blackberry and Bing cherry, with savory hints of nutmeg, leather and breakfast tea emerging on the long, robust finish.

Expert Review

92 Points Wine Spectator | Juicy and inviting, with tasty raspberry and mulberry notes infused with pine forest, red tea and wet earth accents. Keeps the fleshy, juicy feel through the lightly toasted finish. Drink now through 2028.

Winemaker Description

The result of a long history, Burgundy and its wines are known worldwide. Pinot Noir is a native grape variety of the area. Bourgogne Pinot Noir is the regional appellation whose wines can come from any part of Burgundy. This wine exhibits the characteristics of the great red Burgundies.

Our Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2021 has a ruby color. Its nose reveals notes of blackcurrant buds. Its round and fresh palate offers notes of cherry for a soft finish.
Food Pairing: Grilled meat - mature cheeses. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description 

Our Pinot Noir grapes were primarily grown in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County, which sits on a gravelly alluvial plain beneath the Santa Lucia Mountains. Cool winds from Monterey Bay ensure gradual ripening and development of vibrant flavors. The rocky soils allow excellent drainage, enhancing intensity and promoting balanced ripeness and acidity.

Vibrant aromas of red and dark cherry, raspberry and plum with subtle touches of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, silky tannins and excellent acid balance are joined by delicate flavors of red cherry and raspberry, culminating with notes of earthiness on a long and lingering finish. 

Memo Summary Notes

This wine is sourced primarily from the cool-climate Arroyo Seco appellation within Monterey County, which provides the ideal conditions for developing vibrant fruit and balanced acidity.

Winemaker Description 

This delicately hued rosé embodies true coastal character with its freshness, vibrancy and marine minerality. Lifted aromas of wild strawberry and rose petal give way to a trio of fresh, sweet and candied ruby grapefruit, underscored with a layer of wet stone minerality.

A welcoming and supple entry reveals hallmark flavors of red grapefruit and a hint of vine-ripened watermelon which echo the wine's charmingly complex aromatics. The palate is taut, neatly framing a latticework of texture and acidity that supports a persistent and mouth-watering finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

The Wine Enthusiast 90 Points | This widely available Oregon Pinot avoids the sort of winemaking tricks that take away detail and specificity. It is broadly flavorful with brambly blackberry and black cherry fruit, along with a streak of licorice.

Winemaker Notes - 2019

Winemaker Description

Dark ruby color. Light to medium bodied with aromas and flavors of raspberry, tart cherry, spice with a touch of earth. Supple and balanced with a smooth finish. 

The Bacchus label was created by David Gordon, one of New York’s first recognized sommeliers, and the person responsible for the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list at Manhattan’s famed Tribeca Grill restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1990 by restaurateur Drew Nieporent and actor Robert DeNiro. Gordon, who is self-taught, began learning about wine in the 1980s just as Kevin Zraly was beginning to educate America on the world of wine. At the time, there were very few non-French somms working in the city and the British-born Court of Master Sommeliers was in its infancy.

While he tasted and learned about the best wines on the planet, which included expensive Burgundies and Rhône wines, Gordon always kept the consumer top of mind.“I started the Bacchus line as a fun, cool thing to do,” says Gordon. “There really weren't any wines associated with sommeliers at the time.  Now there are many, but these were definitely among the first. I named the wine after the person I worship- Bacchus.”

Gordon has kept to his original promise that wines with the Bacchus label will always be affordable and delicious. “People want ripe fruit and a clean taste that’s not too oaky or tannic,” he says. The wines are refreshing, they can be drunk as an aperitif before dinner or with a meal."

Winemaker Description

Bright red in color, this wine represents the vintage well. Aromatically driven by cherry, strawberry, and Herbes de Provence with light green spice. On the palate, this wine is fruit-forward and balanced with acidity and structure. Cardamom and nutmeg spice on the finish. This wine, though youthful, shows great structure; a wet spring and warm harvest created delicate flavors and a powerful lasting finish.

Expert Review

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019

Clive Pursehouse writes:  Savoury, dark and brooding, this wine is a blend of vineyard sites with thin top soils over fractured basalt—a fascinating study in variety and terroir. The rocky soils lend the wine structure and ample texture alongside its dark fruited core—Aromatics of Damson plums and Mission figs accented by a touch of spearmint. The palate is rich with baking chocolate, ripe pluots, red apple skin and blood orange.  Drinking 2023 to 2030.  - Decanter 93

James Suckling writes:  Attractively savory nose of mushrooms, sea urchins, cherries, slate and green strawberries. It’s sleek, savory and mineral, with a medium body, fine-grained tannins and a more stony finish. Unfiltered. Drink now or hold.  - James Suckling 92

Tim Fish writes:  Gracefully structured, with a vibrant beam of cherry and raspberry flavors accented by stony minerality and dusky spices. Builds richness toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2030.   - Wine Spectator 93

Winemaker Description 

The Basalte Pinot Noir is our bedrock bottling from the Willamette Valley. It is sourced from vineyards that have fairly thin volcanic clay topsoil over fractured basalt. This type of very rocky soil lends itself to muscular, firmly structured wines, with persistent length. The Basalte captures this expressive character of the soil, with deep red fruit and a fine tannic structure that maintains elegant style.

Winemaker Description

Led by Owner and Winemaker Charlie Wagner, Sea Sun Pinot Noir is created from the singular beauty and character of the California coast. The premier regions where Sea Sun is sourced span several hundred miles - from the largely undiscovered Suisun Valley, an up and coming wine region that neighbors Napa Valley - down to Santa Barbara County. All of the coastal regions where we source grapes for Sea Sun provide ideal conditions for Pinot Noir, with cooling ocean  breezes and an extended growing season that leads to heightened complexity in the wine. These regions also feature subtle differences, with even a few degrees in temperature or the strength of the wind leaving their mark on the grapes. As a result, Sea Sun Pinot Noir is layered with aromas and flavors. 

The 2023 Sea Sun Pinot Noir has aromas of cherry, light toasted wood, dry earth, clove and a hint of s'mores. The flavors echo the cherry on the nose, with raspberry on the finish. Bright and fruit-driven, with lush cherries and a strikingly soft texture.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022

James Suckling 92 Points | A full-flavored, medium-bodied red that offers good, bracing acidity and moderate tannins that lift fresh, delicious raspberry and dark cherry flavors. Hints of earthiness and flint on the nose, then vivid, dark-fruit flavors and a mouthwatering texture. Drink now or hold.

Producer Description 

This wine expresses forest floor fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry round out the velvet balanced structure and in her finesse. Cooper Mountain is a pioneering winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, established on the outskirts of Portland in the late 1970’s.

In 1978 Dr. Robert Gross and his wife Corrine planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the slopes of Cooper Mountain, west of Portland. In 1987, the family converted an old horse barn on the property to start their own label, becoming early adopters to organic and Biodynamic farming practices in Oregon winemaking by the early 1990’s.

"Our role as stewards of our 200 acres is a vital part of our process. Cooper Mountain has always been a trailblazer in sustainable growing, receiving organic certification from Oregon Tilth in 1995. Our commitment to these practices is an important part of our identity and that’s why 100% of our wines are organically grown.  We believe in Biodynamic farming practices. We’ve been farming that way since the early 90’s and received our certification from Demeter in 1999. Every bottle of wine we make today is made from Biodynamic grapes."

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

The Wine Spectator 92 Points | A sleek and vibrant red, offering medium-bodied flavors of cherry and cranberry that take on green tea and forest floor accents as this builds toward zesty tannins.

Winemaker Description

Bright cherry and raspberry aromas complement notes of cinnamon and delicate violet, while the palate strikes a balance between juicy plum and boysenberry and complex, earthy cola and leather, finishing with chalky tannins and hints of crème brulée. 

Winemaker Description

100% Pinot Noir. The only kosher Pinot from Willamette Valley! Cherry on the nose, with flavors of blackberries, dried herbs and roasted coffee beans. Aged 12 months in neutral Oak barrels.