NV Society of Smugglers Pinot Noir

This is the only wine we make that doesn’t come from Caldwell Estate… and given our discernment about such things, you know it’s gotta be good if we’re buying other people’s grapes. Which we do for this wine, from three exceptional vineyards in three different appellations.

Scrumptious, complex and opulent, like a Michelin-starred meal (without the price tag), it offers a heroic dose of fruit balanced by sophisticated precision. The mouthfeel is unctuous with gobs of fruit because, at the end of the day, we’re out-of-the-closet hedonists. But we’re also hellishly discerning, so there’s a core of sophistication and restraint that’s perfumed and mouthwatering. The mouthfeel is unbridled with both power and height with blending ripeness from the Calypte and Rancho La Viña fruit with decided freshness and lilt from Mendo’s own Alder Springs Vineyard.

Composition: 100 % Pinot Noir

Appellation: California (29% Santa Rita Hills, 46% Russian River, 25% Mendocino)

Vineyard: Rancho La Viña, Calypte, Alder Springs

Drink: Now or in the next few years.

Production: 269 cases

Aged: 12 months in 100% French Oak (Allier, Berce, Vosges), 33% new