The Sangiacomo family farms the southern part of Sonoma County in the area known as Carneros. For many years this was just grazing land, thought to be too cold for the production of fine quality wine grapes. To look at the land one would agree that grapes would not do well here. However for varieties which do best in cooler conditions, especially Pinot Noir, this is the place. We have worked with the Pinot Noir from Sangiacomo since our first vintage in 1991. Each year we choose the best lots and produce a single vineyard bottling. We age these lots for an additional 4-5 months and use a higher proportion of new French oak barrels. These barrels are heavily toasted during the bending of the staves. This toasting gives a smoky aromatic backdrop to the wonderful cherry fruit aromas and flavors. We have always liked the fruit from the Southern Sonoma block but recently we have also used fruit from the El Novillero block, which is part of the Donnell Ranch. While a challenging vintage to work with, the 1998 wine is still a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir: deep color and the pronounced aroma of Bing cherries combined with a smooth structure and perfect balance.

Rating for United States-California: 89 (slightly better than average year)<br/><br/>Drinkability: drink now<br/>

Medium full body, cherry and plums. Cork on my bottle disintegrated.