Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Wine: Schug Carneros Estate Winery 2005 Pinot Noir  (Carneros ~ Los Carneros)

Schug Carneros Estate Winery

2005 Pinot Noir
(Carneros ~ Los Carneros)



Silky, sweet-tart, and fully flavored, Carneros Pinot Noirs are certainly some of the nation’s finest versions of the wine modeled after red Burgundy. This wine from the Schug family is no exception.

The middle of three tiers of Pinot Noirs and reasonably priced at $24, the Carneros bottling is what the family considers their flagship wine. A “Heritage Reserve” is made with the best of the Carneros barrels while the lower priced “Sonoma Coast” bottling incorporates fruit from other vineyards in the designated area. Owner/Winemaster Walter Schug and winemaker Michael Cox seek to showcase “clonal diversity” with this Pinot Noir so they vinify each of the seven source lots separately.

Lightly saturated ruby and moderately viscous, this wine has aromas of strawberry, hay, rootbeer, cherry cola, peppermint, and juicy fruit gum. It is medium to full in body with ripe fruit and a lively mouthfeel. Layers of rootbeer, cherry, and clove mingle on the palate. The finish is sweet tart and very slightly gripping. Compared to the price of ordinary and often disappointing red Burgundy, this wine is a relative bargain.

Reviewed December 12, 2006 by Catherine Fallis.

The Wine

Winery: Schug Carneros Estate Winery
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Carneros ~ Los Carneros
Grape: Pinot Noir
Price: 750ml $24.00

Review Date: 12/12/2006

The Reviewer

Catherine Fallis

Founder and President of Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing the joy of wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people, Catherine is creator of the “grape goddess guides to good living,” a series of books, television presentations, seminars, and e-learning programs. The fifth woman in the world to become a Master Sommelier, grape goddess Catherine Fallis is still very much down-to-earth.