RAEN “Royal St. Robert” Pinot Noir 2021

(Sonoma Coast, CA) $70

If great winemaking can be “in your genes,” then Carlo and Dante Mondavi are evidence. The sons of Tim Mondavi and grandsons of the late Robert Mondavi make sensational tiny-production, cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—wines that are out-of-this world great. Almost aerial in their elegance and yet deeply rich, the wines have such beauty and purity of flavor that I could have been fooled into thinking I was drinking Grand Cru Burgundy. The “Royal St. Robert” (an homage to Robert) evokes spiced cherries, rose petals, sea spray, and sun-lit meadows. The sensory arc of the wine is languorously long from beginning to end. Once, years ago, when I was interviewing Robert Mondavi, he said to me, “Pinot Noir isn’t supposed to knock your socks off. It’s supposed to slip them off slowly.” If only he could have tasted RAEN. I think he would have been very proud.

And a final note: Carlo Mondavi, among the most active winemaking environmentalists of his generation, is passionate about climate action, soil health, species preservation, and regenerative farming. Watch our People-to Know video interview with Carlo, coming up in the June 2 edition of WineSpeed.

98 points KM

Available at Wine.com