Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out.  For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2010 Carol Shelton Wines Pinot Noir Larson Vineyard Carneros.

The wine is produced by Carol Shelton’s eponymous winery – a self-described “Zin Specialist” located in Santa Rosa, CA.

Carol Shelton is widely cited as the most awarded winemaker in the United States. She has won countless medals for her wines and has been honored as Winemaker of the Year numerous times. 

Carol studied at University of California at Davis. She’s worked with greats like Robert Mondavi and Andre Tchelistcheff before taking the winemaker position at Windsor Vineyards where she worked for 19 years. She and her husband founded Carol Shelton Wines in 2000.

I’ve enjoyed more than a few Carol Shelton Zins,  and I gladly vouch for them.  In addition to Zinfandel,  Carol Shelton Wines produces a white Rhone blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, a Rosé and dessert wines.

The 2010 vintage was the first year the winery produced Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir grapes were sourced from the Larson Vineyard in Carneros in Sonoma County.

My tasting notes follow:

Dark ruby color with elegant with cherry, earth and pepper aromas. On the palate, it’s medium bodied with wonderful acidity, silky mouth feel and ripe cherry cranberry, and spice flavors. Medium-Long finish. 14.5% alcohol.

The wine is a blend of 96.5% Pinot Noir, and Petite Sirah.  It’s aged 10 months in French oak barrels (50% new and 50% 2-year-old )14.5% alcohol. 218 cases produced.  Suggested retail SRP – $38

It’s definitely as Carol Shelton puts it, a “Zin-lover’s Pinot!”, so while Pinot-purists might balk, I like to mix it up a bit, depending on my mood and the food, and this one hit the spot for me!

Rating:  A-

Wine purchased for review

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