carneros – Wine Snob

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Carneros) by Corner 103, Sonoma CA

Crisp notes of sweet cherries and berries out of the bottle. A gentle secondary butterscotch caramel. A damp earthy leather lingers in the back. These are all key hallmarks of a faithful Sonoma Pinot. Everything is fairly restrained overall.

Body shows good balance, slightly biased towards creamy than acidic. Cherries carry over as well as butterscotch caramel, albeit slightly more intense. Thin barely noticeable tannins provide good structure. Mouth feel is soft, light if not plush. Towards the back, the body fades to more of a cola and sweet citrus expression. Transition to finish is seamless, ending with a fairly neutral palate. No spice heat or tannic grip.

This is a clean, crisp, understated if not uncomplicated Pinot. It retains good sense of place without being overly abstract to the average palate (a tricky balance). This Pinot should appeal to a broad spectrum of palates; from beginner to intermediate and advanced. In summary, this is a faithful Sonoma Pinot for all to enjoy! I like it! Great job Lloyd and and the entire crew at Corner 103!

I recently visited their tasting room while while exploring boutique artisan wineries in Sonoma and I have so say the wines match the decor, ambiance and vibe. The warm, calm modernist setting right on the square in downtown Sonoma made for a great focused and guided tasting. If you are in the Sonoma area, I highly recommend making appointment and stopping by. If you do, don’t forget to let me know your thoughts and tag me on social media.

Tonight’s occasion: 2017 Pinot Noir (Los Carneros, Limited Release) by Artesa.

Restrained, delicate, subtle are its hallmarks. The nose greets you with that all too familiar Carneros dirt. It’s very subtle but unmistakable. If you’ve had quite a few wines from this region, then you know what I’m talking about… LOL. I love it! There’s an even fainter hint of manure. It’s a very pleasant leather overall. The terroir is very nicely expressed through the vine and into this wine. Aside from that there are subtle sweet berry, cherry and floral notes.

Body is crisp. Clean. Balanced. This is a Pinot in the traditional sense. Light buttery tannins create a very easy laid back mouth feel. A hint of oak and cherry pull through into the body. A seamless transition to an otherwise dry, smooth finish, followed moments later by gentle spice.

This is a very clean, well made Pinot Noir. A textbook Carneros Pinot Noir. If you’re looking for a good starting/reference point, you can’t go wrong with Artesa. Treat yourself to the view from the estate at the top of the ridge. Take some time to go over their mouth watering assortment of representative wines. Well done Artesa!

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