Medium ruby color; cherry, raspberry, strawberry, red plum, pomegranate, blackberry, earth, black tea, leather, thyme, white pepper, oak on the nose and palate.
Dry; soft tannins balanced with reserved acidity. Burgundian elegance with just hint of California assertiveness. Medium body. “Etude” is French for “study” and this is a study in quality Carneros, cool weather pinot. Silky texture; subtle, lingering finish. 14.1% ABV
Tony Soter established Etude 1982. The Carneros AVA was founded the next year. The Grace Benoist Ranch was developed in 2000 with nine Heirloom pinot noir clones, eight additional pinot noir clones, and seven chardonnay clones. The same year, Robert Parker awarded the 1999 Etude Eden Rock Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 98 points.
The first crush of Grace Benoist Ranch grapes occurred in 2003; the following year, the first pinot noir grapes came into the winery. In 2010, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir 93-plus points. Etude was firmly entrenched as a Carneros star. This effort, which is their entry-level offering even at plus $40, affirms Etude’s lofty position in the California pinot noir firmament.
Grace Benoit is in the northwest corner of Carneros. Soils primarily are volcanic rather than clay. Website notes: “Individual vineyards average only eight acres in size and spacing is dense to ensure low per vine yields of fully concentrated fruit. Grace Benoist Ranch is farmed to Etude’s exacting standards, using environmentally sound viticultural practices. The Ranch is sustainably farmed and certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance as well as Fish Friendly Farming. At the Ranch, there are four smaller vineyards (Laniger, Deer Camp, Temblor and Heirloom) with five principal unique soil types and 20 distinct Pinot Noir clones.”
Jon Priest is Etude’s winemaker. He succeeds because he believes wines are made in the vineyard, not in the winery. The Etude website notes: “Jon headed early to the Northwest, attending Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, but soon returned home as his architect father helped create memorable Central Coast wineries. He worked briefly in a tasting room, and at the legendary Wine Cask in Santa Barbara before joining Wild Horse, beginning a career that led to Adelaida Cellars, to Pinot Noir focused Taz, and on to Etude, where he has spent nearly a dozen years creating memorable wines that tell you where they came from in every sip.”
Priest notes: “The Carneros Estate Pinot Noir underwent cold maceration in small lot open-top fermenters with extended time on the skins and including a small number of whole clusters. Vineyard lots are vinified and aged individually and final blending is subject to a rigorous selection process, whereby only the best casks are chosen to represent the Grace Benoist Ranch Estate Pinot Noir. The wine is aged in French Oak with a small percentage of new barrels.”
Etude Pinot Noir Carneros, Grace Benoist Ranch 2020 continues the tradition of a quality pinot noir that drinks better than its price suggests. Tastes more Burgundian-Willamette Valley than heavier, fruitier Napa pinots. Also can easily be enjoyed sipped with wine crackers or light charcuterie board. Versatile easy drinker. Pair with lighter meat-based dishes; pork tenderloin with cherry glaze; lamb chops; roast duck, chicken, turkey, quail, pheasant; grilled salmon, tuna. Mushroom risotto, grilled potobello mushrooms, roasted root vegetables. Cheese—brie, camembert, taleggio, cambozola, gruyère, comté, manchego, ossau-iraty. $40-48
