2017 Raen, Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview

According to Carlo Mondavi and his colleagues at Raen, 'Home Field Vineyard is our pretty lady. Pure elegance. Situated on a remote hillside, planted under two miles from the cool Pacific Ocean and perched at 1,400 feet, Home Field offers a delicate message from its beautiful raw expanse'. Whole-cluster, wild fermentation, aged in neutral French oak barrels, bottled without fining or filtration. Pale to mid garnet. Dark fruits on the nose – even a hint of blackcurrant. Pretty sweet and ripe. Less refined than the Raen 2017 from the Bodega vineyard. A little chunky and fleshy. This doesn't taste as cool as I would expect from a site so close to the ocean. There's a tiny hint of Russian River sweetness even, though it's far from soupy. Could stand up to a wide range of foods – preserved meats such as ham and salami, for instance. (JR)