Red - Pinot Noir

Balletto Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2019 exhibits everything you would expect from a serious pinot. It combines full and captivating aromatics with a delicate texture that defines the Balletto style of Pinot Noir. The wine itself is full of contradictory forces: it’s weighty with a luscious mid-palate, but also surrounded by notable tannins and acidity that keep it focused, balanced and taut. It has plenty of dark fruit, but it’s also layered with savory earth and spices that offset it. The overall impact is complex, impressive and delicious. The 2019 Balletto Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was grown on seven different estate pinot vineyards. The sites range from quiet rolling hills to steep and cold hillside plantings. This diverse combination adds distinct elements from each site and creates a complex wine with structure and grace. Double Gold – San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, January 2022

This is the most important wine in the Banshee lineup, and they treat it as such. The 2018 edition is an exciting, yet friendly wine, bursting at the seams with aromas of macerated wild berries and an elegant, soft earth undertone. The flavors combine both sweet and tart, reminiscent of Santa Rosa plums and wild blackberries that grow so commonly in Sonoma Wine Country. The finish is bright, slightly herbal, and savory making this an excellent food wine, as well as a charming drinking experience by itself.

As a winegrowing region, there is no other Pinot Noir AVA in America that has more potential than Anderson Valley in Mendocino. The features of the valley are a Mecca for the cultivation of Pinot: here one finds daily, cooling maritime influence, dramatic geological contours with high mountains on either side of the valley, rocky soils and a mix of classic California flora and trees. The Champ de Reves spectacular vineyard is perched high above Boonville in the hills of Anderson Valley, just 18 miles from the Pacific coastline.
The Champ de Reves 2015 Pinot Noir, Sable Mountain shows complex aromas of raspberry, smoked meat, juniper berry, sage, and cigar box. The palate exhibits flavors of strawberry, huckleberry, caramel, white pepper and Assam tea. Plush entry and fruit-driven mid-palate lead into a prodigious but finely knit tannin backbone.

Cherry Pie is another innovative offering from visionary winemaker Jayson Woodbridge, creator of Hundred Acre and Layer Cake Wines. Jayson sought out the owners of Stanly Ranch, on the Napa side of the Los Carneros appellation – their grapes were some of the most sought after Pinot Noir grapes in California. Then, in early 2008 while perusing New York’s Soho District, Jayson happened upon the Campton Gallery during its exhibition of paintings by artist TR Colletta. Like TR Colletta’s art, Jayson’s art is evocative, complex, textural and fundamentally American. His Cherry Pie Pinot Noirs are dazzling in their rich, layered, sensory excellence and are redolent of the flavors and aromas of something delicious baking in a warm kitchen – comforting, inviting, and with their rich, dense, dark fruit flavors. 

A beautiful color with upfront aromas of caramelized sugar, strawberry cream and dark chocolate covered cherry. Notes of cranberry and cocoa, cedar and spice with bright and balanced acidity. Nice oak profile. Elegant mouthfeel with a fresh and lingering finish of spring forest floor, cherry compote, and vanilla.

The Fess Parker Pinot Noir 2018, Santa Rita Hills starts with hints of nutmeg and dusty minerals. The palate deftly balances density with lifted acidity, carrying flavors of roasted cherry and root beer spice. 10% Pinot Noir. 91 Points Wine Enthusiast.