2023 Pinot Noir, Mitsuko's Vineyard, Carneros
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Syrah
This wine is a pale, alluring purple-red. The fragrant nose offers concentrated aromas of red plum, dried fig, and Bing cherry. The palate is lively and layered, where bright red fruit meets savory notes of vanilla and cola, beautifully intertwined with earth and forest floor. Excellent acidity and firm, crunchy tannins carry the wine to a long, mouth-coating finish.
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Wine Specs
Vintage
2023
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Carneros Napa
Acid
5.31
pH
3.54
Residual Sugar
1.14
Alcohol %
14.5
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
Mitsuko's Vineyard is 365 acres in the Los Carneros appellation within the Napa Valley. The vineyard takes its name from founder Jan Shrem’s late wife, with whom he became devoted to building Clos Pegase and making it an iconic destination in Napa Valley.
The rolling land of this vineyard has a broad range of soil types, elevations, slopes, and aspects which create countless distinct microclimates. After careful study, eight different grape varieties were planted at this vineyard utilizing every bit of its diversity.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are commonly found in Los Carneros and are the keys to the region’s fame. In Mitsuko’s Vineyard, these varieties receive ideal cooling breezes blowing in from the San Pablo Bay, which create the slow, balanced growing season these varieties need to build complexity.
Production Notes
1st Bottling
Winemaker Notes
15% whole cluster fermentation is included in the blend. The nose is generous with ripe blackberries, strawberry jam and a particular hint of Old Redwood forest floor. The wine is well structured with firm tannins balanced against a dark cherry core. There is a hallmark Carneros cola note hiding in the mid-palate, giving the wine added complexity with a beautiful finish that lingers on.
Handpicked in the early morning and delivered to the winery, the clusters underwent meticulous sorting and were 100% destemmed. Individual blocks were then immediately warm-fermented using a selected yeast strain. After fermentation, the must was pressed and transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation.
Food Pairing Notes
Pair with herb-crusted roasted chicken or pan-seared duck breast. The wine’s silky texture and bright acidity cut beautifully through the poultry’s skin and fat, while its earthy, savory notes, like mushroom and forest floor, perfectly complement the rich flavors of a herb crust or the characteristic gamey profile of duck.