Owner-winemaker Chuck Carlson believes in long fermentations and then extended skin contact, giving his Pinots deep color and lots of flavor. The use of Francois Freres French oak imparts a toasty note to the aromatics and a subtle complexity on the palate. The color is a medium-deep, plum-red and the nose offers complex notes of boiled black tea and floral notes. There’s plenty of fruit, black cherry accents, 13.5% alcohol, good tannins and acidity and a long finish with layers of ripe fruit. This is a lovely silky Pinot with good complexity.
Carlson, Arroyo Grande Valley (San Luis Obispo County, California) Pinot Noir 2008
By Gerald D. Boyd