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theCompass mobile application is a winery, brewery, and distillery locator for North America. |
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Saintsbury
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Twenty years ago, California Pinot Noir was slumbering somewhat fitfully. In the middle seventies, a wine reviewer noted that "truly fine California Pinots can be numbered on one hand...the thin, pallid bottles are outnumbered by the merely dull." Saintsbury was founded in 1981 by winemakers Richard Ward and David Graves. The objectives of their new winery were pretty straightforward. Dick and Dave were going to disprove the notion that Pinot Noir from California was "only marginally different from jug reds." The winery was named in honor of George Saintsbury, English man of letters and professor who is best known to wine lovers as the author of "Notes on a Cellar-Book." Saintsbury specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay is fermented and aged in barrels coopered in Burgundy. Three styles of Pinot Noir are produced: "Garnet" is a fresh, lively wine full of cherry and raspberry fruit; the wine simply called Carneros Pinot Noir is a more classic rendition; and the Reserve Pinot Noir is the richest and most fully flavored of the vintage. With the planting of Saintsbury’s Brown Ranch in 1991, total acreage is now 55. Since 1996, the winery now produces a small but very special bottling of Pinot Noir from this ranch that is released on October 23rd of each year in celebration of George Saintsbury’s birthday. Production at Saintsbury has grown from 3,000 cases in 1981 to a current maximum level of 55,000 cases, two-thirds of which are Pinot Noir.
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Directions
From the East Bay: It normally takes about 2 hours to drive here from downtown San Francisco, depending on traffic. Plan your travel schedule to avoid city and bridge traffic during rush hour. Take I-80 East to the CA-37 / Columbus Pkwy. Exit towards Napa at Vallejo. Merge onto Marine World Pkwy. Turn right onto Sonoma Blvd, which becomes CA-12 W. Turn left onto Los Carneros Ave, then left onto Withers Rd. Saintsbury is off Withers Road, between Los Carneros and Cuttings Wharf. ...from Marin and the North Bay: Take US-101 N, then the CA-37 E exit towards Vallejo / Napa. Merge onto CA-37 E and take CA-121 N towards Sonoma / Napa. Turn right onto Los Carneros Ave, then left onto Withers Rd. Saintsbury is between Los Carneros and Cuttings Wharf. ...from Sacramento: Take I-80 W, then take the CA-12 exit towards Napa / Sonoma. Merge onto Jameson Canyon Rd / CA-12. Turn right onto CA-12 W. Turn left onto Los Carneros Ave, then left onto Withers Rd. Saintsbury is between Los Carneros and Cuttings Wharf.
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Brown Ranch Pinot Noir
We look forward to continuing the tradition of this bottling honoring both our namesake and the vineyard so integral to the future quality of Saintsbury wines.
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Carneros Chardonnay
The 2003 Chardonnay unites brilliant flavors with just the right structure and palate-feel. The flavors are classic citrus and pear – concentrated and focused nicely in the mid-palate. It has terrific length, is fully flavored, and finishes crisply.
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Carneros Pinot Noir
The 2002 Carneros Pinot Noir spent ten months in barrel; 40% of the barrels were new. The wine is concentrated and full, with classic Pinot Noir character: cherry and berry flavors dominate both nose and palate with some deeper tones contributed by our new vineyard. The balance and depth of flavor are excellent and while delicious already don't let its youthful attraction fool you - this wine will benefit from bottle aging.
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Garnet Carneros Pinot Noir
The 2003 bottling of Garnet is, as always, very exciting. This is – the time of year we look forward to new releases, the indicators of what is to come. The Garnet Pinot Noir is enjoyed for the right combination of freshness and extract, grace and length. The '03 is lush with bright, refreshing fruit; raspberry/cherry/strawberry. This affordable Pinot Noir is a perennial favorite during the holidays, and complements a wide variety of dishes.
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Reserve Chardonnay
The 2000 Reserve Chardonnay aged 13 months in barrel - 40% of these barrels were new, the balance were one year old. The wines were stirred regularly until malolactic fermentation was complete – with some post-malolactic stirring - and then allowed to age on their lees until bottling. Since the 1992 vintage, the Reserve Chardonnay has been bottled without filtration. The 2000 vintage was bottled in February of 2002. The wine is rich, with flavors and aromas reminiscent of pears and nectarines seasoned with some sweet oak. It is lush and creamy for present enjoyment, but has the structure and acidity for laying down.
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Reserve Pinot Noir
It is racked once to assemble the blend, then left undisturbed until it is bottled the following December. The 2000 Reserve Pinot Noir was aged for 14 months in 50% new Francois Freres barrels of Nevers and Alliers oak. The wine is not fined or filtered before bottling.
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Vin Gris
Vin Gris is the Burgundian name for a delicate pink wine made from Pinot Noir. Ours is a vin gris saigné, a wine made from juice "bled" from the Pinot Noir tanks before the fermentations begin.
Grapes which come in from vineyards where yield was slightly higher than normal become candidates for saigné. Removing juice has the effect of concentrating what remains in the tank – less liquid, but the same amount of skins, and therefore, color and tannin.
We take the juice we’ve run off – it’s pale pink and very tasty – and put it into older French oak barrels to ferment.
The Vin Gris finishes malo-lactic in barrel and after a modest amount of barrel age the result is a dry, complex, flavorful wine.
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