In our over twenty five years of writing about wines there is one phrase the we have over worked and over used and here we go again. “The pinot noir grape has been responsible for some of California’s greatest successes and its most dismal failures.” The question now comes up, why?

            The grape variety, which has an incredibly long history in the Burgundy region of France, was always famous for producing wines which could be called ethereal. The how, why and wherefore of the French success with this grape has been lost to history but when the vine made the trip across the sea to California, the mystery began.

            The grape has never been a prodigious producer and the grape berries themselves are very small. The vine is also very susceptible to various vine diseases, especially fungus. During the winemaking the variety has been known to take off on its own direction for no reason at all. Once bottled, pinot noir ages in a series of deep sighs rather than in a normal steady progression. Summing it all up, the pinot noir is one tough grape to work with.            

After all of this preamble, it is obvious that we are lovers of pinot noir. We are and we believe that once a reader is exposed to the joys of the variety, they will be too.

Bouchaine Vineyards has been around since the Prohibition period but their sojourn into pinot noir is fairly recent. The vineyard area of Bouchaine Vineyards proved to be ideal for growing pinot noir and chardonnay grapes.

Slowly and steadily the winemakers have learned to tame and control this very difficult grape and from it coax out some fine vintages. The latest offering are two glorious pinot noirs and an excellent chardonnay.          

Bouchaine 2004 Estate Vineyard Carneros-Napa Valley Pinot Noir ($40). On a scale of 1-10, we give this wine a 24. The Bouchaine 2004 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is probably one of the best Pinot Noir wines that we have ever tasted, regardless of price or place of origin. We have tasted the finest of the classical burgundies and the best from California, and this wine is a full-bodied beauty that is worth in our estimation, at least twice its selling price. It is big, bold and beautiful, embodying everything that has made pinot noir wines so popular. The wine exhibits a soft but positive fruit flavor, which is wrapped in a delicate oak robe. The best way to describe this wine is to say that it has achieved everything that growers and vintners envision for pinot noir wines. To be very honest, this wine is reminiscent of the great Burgundies of the sixties and take our word for it, they were great pinot noirs. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to pork and veal, full flavored fowl and any meat dish featuring positive spices such as black pepper, allspice, thyme and sage. Words are not enough to describe this wine, but to miss it would be one of life's great tragedies.

Bouchaine 2004 Estate Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir ($28). The grapes for this wine came from the Bouchaine Estate Vineyards and several neighboring vineyards. This wine is not an also ran, nor is it in the shadow of the Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir it is another, slightly different wine that can very well stand on its own merits. The color is a deep cherry/ruby while the aroma is a complex of fruit flavors featuring cherries and blackberries mingled with oak. Below the surface there is a swirling, kaleidoscopic array of dark summer fruits and berries along with that indefinable incense-like aroma that, to us, marks a truly great pinot noir. The flavor is as multifaceted as is the aroma. There is a host of cherry and berry flavors, all of which are wrapped in that indefinable pinot noir velvet softness. This wine also possesses a substantial body, which is another sign of a well-made, finely proportioned pinot noir. The finish is long and as interesting and complex as is the aroma.. Forget the price, this wine is a treat.

 Bouchaine 2004 Estate Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay($28). This is not a bold or overpowering wine but rather, a comfortable wine that combines all of the elements of a great chardonnay into a mellow, soft, flavorful, and easy to drink beverage. The aroma is heavy with the scents of pears, apples, and vanilla with a hint of roasted nuts in the background. The flavor is bright, fruity and crisp accenting green apples and pears. The finish is soft and possesses a toast-like element. From beginning to end this is a grand wine,

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