Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2012
Goldeneye Winery was founded in 1996, years before the Pinot Noir boom that has reshaped the landscape of California winemaking. But the genesis for Goldeneye goes back even further. In 1990, after fifteen years of making world-class Bordeaux-varietal wines, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn embraced their growing love of Pinot Noir. They wanted to found a winery that could make a terroir-inspired expression of California Pinot Noir of equal stature to the acclaimed Merlots they had pioneered at Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley. The Duckhorns knew that in both the Old and New World, the finest Pinot Noir thrives in very different conditions than Merlot. For Pinot Noir, they believed that true greatness would be found on the cool-climate edges of modern California viticulture where the grape could express varietal purity and an intimate sense of place. Over the next six years, Dan, Margaret and Alex Ryan (who today is CEO and president of Duckhorn Wine Company), explored the potential of fruit from numerous regions, including the Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Carneros. They found what they were looking for in the Anderson Valley. With ideal clay soils and a marine-influenced climate offering long, mild days and cooling fog and winds, the Anderson Valley appellation had all the ingredients for producing world-class Pinot Noir. In 1996, Goldeneye was founded and the first estate vineyard was selected. A year later, Goldeneye harvested its first grapes, a modest 7 tons of estate fruit, yielding 375 cases of wine, which were released in March of 2000.
Opening a bottle from the exceptional 2012 vintage, I noticed a bright Ruby red with aromas of sweet ripe red fruits with an array of floral scents. Grapes blended from four vineyards and aged in French oak (53% new) for 16 months, the palate had flavors of sweet cherry fruit, plums and currants with a savory edge. The wine kept building layers of flavors, leather, cacao and earthy tones, nice mouthfeel that lingered to a long finish. Complex, Very Nice!
Cheers!