2016 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel

A barrel selection mostly from a slightly warmer terroir, the 2016 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel is an incredible, seamless, elegant Pinot Noir that offers extraordinary notes of caramelized cherries, framboise, strawberries, flowers, and toasted bread. Incredibly seamless, elegant, multi-faceted, and layered, with ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. It’s hard to pick a favorite out of these Pinot Noirs from Peter Michael as it’s like splitting hairs, yet this is a tiny notch up and hits every sweet spot. Located north of Napa Valley, in the Knights Valley AVA of Sonoma, Peter Michael utilizes the incredible talent of Frenchman Nicolas Morlet (whose brother Luc runs Morlet Estate in Napa, and was previously the winemaker at Peter Michael). These classic, traditionally made wines certainly have an old world feel/style, yet never lose their California soul. They produce two brilliant Bordeaux Blanc look-alikes, a bevy of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and three Bordeaux blends. It can be a complex lineup to wrap your head around, but the cuvees show singular characters and the quality is off the charts.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel is the most tannic and structured of the three Peter Michael estate Pinots. As such, it is going to need at least a few years in bottle to start coming around. Chalk, white pepper, mint and crushed rocks give the red-toned fruit brightness and energy. The Clos du Ciel deftly balances ripeness and fruit intensity with structure.