The foggy, wind-swept slopes of the Carneros region are an ideal home for Pinot Noir, a cool-climate loving grape. Great care is needed to produce fine pinot noir, a notoriously challenging and fragile variety, and the marine influences allow for gradual, flavor-building hang time needed for peak flavor maturity. The low-nutrient soils provide lower yields, and the fewer berries that do grow, with less competition for natural resources, have rich, concentrated flavors and produce a deep-colored wine.
