Pale gold color; peach, lemon-lime on restrained nose; lemon-lime, grapefruit, pear Anjou, white peach, golden delicious apple, slice of melon, citrus on the palate.
Dry; good acidity and tartness; interesting, contrasting velvety mouthfeel. Very slight oak influence—rounding off the flavors. Aged five months in 855 neutral barrels and 15% stainless steel. Light-plus weight. Simple, somewhat one-dimensional on pop-and-pour, but the dimension is a nice, food-friendly dimension. It also grows on you and becomes more mellow and displays some depth with time in the glass. 12.6% ABV
Pinot blanc certainly is not a common variety in Los Carneros, or California for that matter. There are 90,000 acres planted in chardonnay in CA, some 324 acres in pinot blanc. Four of those acres are on the Ram’s Gate estate. So this has unicorn appeal, if nothing else. And there is else. It is a pretty good wine. Pinot blanc is a mutation of pinot noir, and therefore is a subtle wine, and this is subtle with charms that unfold demurely rather than brazenly flaunt themselves.
Joe Nielsen is the director of winemaking. Website notes: “Following nearly ten years at Donelan Family Wines in Santa Rosa, Joe became Director of Winemaking at Ram’s Gate in 2018 and spent his first year focused on digging into the soils of Ram’s Gate and falling in love with the estate. ‘Coming to Ram’s Gate, I feel like I’ve been given a pile of gold and silver and they’re asking me to make jewelry,’ says Joe. ‘I have everything I need to make great wines that are complete, complex and compelling.’”
Hands-on management is interesting. From the website: “Taylr Behnam Cuneo is Managing Director for Ram’s Gate Winery. While she has always held a passion for the art of pairing a delicious meal with high-end wine, today she oversees not just the Ram’s Gate culinary program but the winery operations and hospitality, as well.
“A California-native, Taylr graduated with a business degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2007. Immediately following, she pursued her passion for culinary arts and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2010. Fueled by a desire to explore how wine and food can interact, Taylr found herself drawn to wine country. She was among the first members of the Ram’s Gate team when she joined as Sous Chef in 2011 and by 2012, she transitioned to Executive Chef. During her tenure, she helped build the winery’s state-of-the-art culinary program. With her background in business and management, along with her can-do attitude and willingness to tackle any challenges that come her way, she climbed the ladder and became Managing Director of Ram’s Gate Winery in 2017. Taylr believes that, like wine, building a legacy brand takes time and patience, and is motivated by a desire to see Ram’s Gate constantly catapult to the next level.”
Ram’s Gate is a project of managing owner Michael John, a San Francisco private equity investor and wine collector who is active in environmental improvement efforts. He is joined by Jeff O’Neill, Paul Violich, and Peter Mullin.
Ram’s Gate Estate Pinot Blanc, Los Carneros 2020 is refreshing varietal from a grape not associated with California vineyards. Give this some time to come around in your glass. It is shy at first, but becomes more interesting with patient exposure to air. Focused, refreshing, vibrantly tart, surprisingly long finish. Pair with lighter fare; flaky fish; chicken with lighter cream sauces; salads with creamy dressing; soft cheeses. $37-38
