2016 Pinot Noir, Carneros • St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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90 Points | Suckling Tasting | Nov 2018

Tasting Notes

Bright, clean, and finely textured, this is an aromatic, vibrant wine with expressive flavors and aromas of juicy cherry and raspberry. Delicate notes of toast, spice, and earth complement the red fruit and reveal a core of crisp acidity before a fresh and lingering finish.

Vintage Notes

Harvest in 2016 started in the middle of August during a pattern of warm sunny days cooled by foggy mornings and breezy afternoons for most of the area. The early months of the year were very mild with little rain allowing the vines to progress steadily and uneventfully. Yields throughout the region were slightly below average but moderate weather starting in early summer gave the fruit plenty of time to develop great color and flavor, resulting in beautifully balanced wines.

Vineyard Notes

The Carneros wine-growing region is unique as it spreads over both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. We source the Pinot Noir from vineyards on the Sonoma side where the cool and windy climate is ideal for this varietal. During the warm summer months, the area is often blanketed with fog that burns off much later than surrounding areas. In this environment, the fruit takes a little longer to ripen resulting in pronounced aromatics, bright acidity, and distinct varietal characteristics.

Winemaker Notes

This Pinot was fermented using a combination of techniques, fusing both old and new world styles of winemaking. The wine undergoes a slow 14-day ferment and is then racked off into neutral French oak barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation naturally. Winemaker Katie Madigan chose neutral oak barrels for this wine to highlight the nuances of the Carneros microclimates. The wine is aged for 14 months before bottling.