One of my favorite California wineries to visit and a winery with unbridled beauty outside of the town of Napa, Domaine Carneros is perched on a hill overlooking the scenic Napa Valley. My wife and I recently visited this house and we adore the experience of tasting top sparkling wines with incredibly thoughtful food pairings on a terrace with sweeping views of the valley. You have to be there to experience this!
The ouse dates back to the 1970s as Claude Taittinger, of famed Champagne house Taittinger, began his search for a good spot to make California Sparkling Wine. Finally in 1987 he selected a 138-acre parcel in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley. The spot he selected is truly unique, as it has a massive maritime influence being perched near the bay. The vineyard is quite windy and produces highly concentrated berries that are very small in size. 2022 was not an easy vintage for Pinot Noir but this cooler, windy site seemed like it was less-affected by the severe heat spike that hit harvest. The new wines were well-structured and also very dense — not jammy.
Remi Cohen serves as CEO and the wines have been really focused in the last few years. I think these are the best red wines that they have made at this house. I adored the 2022 Domaine Carneros ‘The Famous Gate’ (OB, 94) which is a refined and beautifully textured pinot Noir that is exceedingly delicious to consume now. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://www.domainecarneros.com Here are the new sparkling wines by Domaine Carneros
2022 Domaine Carneros ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir offers red currant and red raspberry notes alongside garrigue accents on the palate. Soft, round and showing good freshness considering the heat spikes at harvest, this is a beautiful bottling that is best consumed now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2022 Domaine Carneros ‘The Famous Gate’ Pinot Noir- The beautiful 2022 Domaine Carneros ‘The Famous Gate’ Pinot Noir was aged for 16 months on the lees before bottling. Coming from their estate vineyard in the Carneros region, this delivers teaberry and red raspberry notes alongside shades of lavender and thyme on the nose. The palate is big, bold and beautifully textured, showing beautiful weight and texture. Delicious now, enjoy over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Domaine Carneros ‘Le Ciel Serein’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Le Ciel Serein’ is a site known as ‘Bliss Hill’ and was the background for Microsoft Windows XP. The Pinot Noir from this site was planted to a range of clones between 2002 and 2004. The palate is loaded with salty black cherry and cola notes alongside shades of provencal herbs and salty minerals. Fresh and lithe, with a core of medium-bodied dark fruits, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 93