Tasting Report: Wines of Domaine Carneros, 2014
Visiting the grand chateau of Domaine Carneros in the region between Napa and Sonoma is always a treat, and a recent jaunt wine-ward brought us back to the spectacular views of Domaine’s north-facing patio. We sampled a variety of both sparkling and still wines. Brief thoughts on everything tasted — all of which is currently available — follow.
2006 Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs / $99 / A- / rich and yeasty, nutty and malty notes; slight floral finish
2010 Domaine Carneros Vintage Brut Rose / $37 / A- / big fruit character, with tart raspberry and herbal notes on the finish
2009 Domaine Carneros Vintage Brut Cuvee / $28 / B+ / quite dry, with apple and fig notes, some floral and citrus character
2008 Domaine Carneros The Famous Gate Pinot Noir / $80 / A / rich with menthol, tobacco, and cedar box notes, massive and dense, with a chocolate/blueberry character to it
2011 Domaine Carneros Estate Pinot Noir / $35 / A- / dark cherry, licorice, and dense blackberry notes; lingering sweetness and more cherries on the finish
2006 Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs
$99
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Is the ‘Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley’ a typo? As far as I know, to be estate it has to be grown on their property and as far as I know they don’t make a Pinot outside of Carneros.
Yes, Hector. Good eye. (That was an autofill error in my wine ratings spreadsheet. Fixing on the site.)
I was momentarily excited as it’s fun to see great producers branch out to new great wine-growing regions to source new wines. Then again Willamette Valley has been stormed with land acquisitions by CA companies as of late so maybe it’s best DC sticks to Carneros..