Interested in organic wines? Here's another to add to your list. Domaine Carneros farms organically, and in the spring of ’08 the domaine received organic certification of all its estate vineyards. Domaine Carneros President and Chief Winemaker Eileen Crane has kept the winery's organic farming practices under the radar. “Our first commitment is to produce the best wines and we believe that you achieve this through healthy vines, becoming organic was a natural evolution for us from the start,” says the dynamic winemaker who has been a driving force behind the green movement for twenty years. “We've always taken an active role to preserve the health of the land,” she adds. “The organic certification is the result of years of hard work and dedication to the land, and we're proud to finally reach this point in our farming practices.”

Initially Pinot Noir grapes were produced at Domaine Carneros to be used in the blends of their critically acclaimed sparkling cuvees and the extra Pinot Noir was sold off in bulk to surrounding wineries. It was in '92 that Eileen Crane decided to make a few barrels of Pinot Noir for the wineries employees to enjoy. The end result in bottle was an outstanding success, so much so that the following year the winery began producing Pinot Noir in earnest. It has been a hugely successful endeavor - as one sip of this stunning wine will attest - for Domaine Carneros ever since.

Pinot Noir does so well in Carneros because this thin skinned grape thrives in the long growing season augmented by the cooling and consistent maritime breezes that grace the region nearly every summer. This stylish Pinot Noir is produced in small, open topped fermenters, then transferred to barrels and aged for a total of ten months. The judicious use of oak is a key element to producing stellar Pinot Noir, and Eileen Crane has truly mastered it. The oak is never intrusive, but rather harmonizes with the ripe cherry and mineral flavors and it provides a sublime frame for the terroir and fruity components that are present.

A deep amethyst in the glass with a pretty pink rim. The nose on this gem is redolent with scents of ripe black cherry, a hint of raspberry and a dusting of black currant spice touched by the slightest suggestion of oak. The palate delivers classic Carneros fruit; buoyant cherry meshed with a note of coco and sweet herbaceous spices. Lusciously textured, these highly polished red fruit flavors carry along the mid-palate where a silken note of minerality is nestled up to a cool frame of mature wood and creates a lingering and memorable finish. This is an ideal wine to serve with pan-seared veal chops, pork loin glazed in an apricot reduction and will sing along with your thanksgiving dinner. PJ 93

—Donald