Mon Frere Pinot Noir 2022 750ml

$16.00

Mon Frere means my brother, and the name is a nod to friends who count as family. The fruit is pulled from four California appellations: Sonoma Coast, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey, with a full spread of Pinot clones. Fully destemmed, no crushing, cold soaked, then ten months in French oak with a quarter of it new. Wine Enthusiast gave it 91 points and called it a Best Buy. At sixteen dollars that tracks.

Cherry, raspberry and plum with a faint violet lift and gentle spice off the barrel. Balanced on the palate, refreshing acidity, plush weight, tannins that stay soft. Baking spice and dried florals on the close.

Classic matches for Pinot Noir: Salmon, roast duck, mushroom risotto, a charcuterie board that means business.

Grapes come in during early September, hand sorted, fully destemmed and never crushed. Four to five days of cold soak, warm ferments, eleven to eighteen days on skins, then to barrel on the lees for malolactic. Native yeast on small lots. Tom Hinde makes it.