Etude – Heirloom Pinot Noir 2012
Grace Benoist Ranch, Carneros AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸
Overview
Estate-grown from the celebrated Grace Benoist Ranch, this Heirloom Pinot underscores Etude’s mastery of Carneros terroir. Over a decade since harvest, it has aged with remarkable poise, offering proof that Carneros Pinot can rival the greats for longevity. This one delivers the wow-factor in spades.
Aromas & Flavors
Dried cherry, black raspberry, and plum layered with rose petal, tea leaf, and subtle leather. Mature accents of forest floor and truffle bring savory depth to the fruit core.
Mouthfeel
Silky and seamless, with tannins fully resolved into finesse. Bright acidity carries the wine gracefully, while the finish lingers in layers of spice, earth, and fruit. Quite literally, the wine dances in the mouth.
Food Pairing
A natural match with duck confit, wild mushroom risotto, or aged Comté cheese. The wine’s silky texture and earthy notes intertwine beautifully with savory, umami-rich dishes.
The Verdict
A captivating Pinot Noir that reaffirms Etude’s finesse and Grace Benoist Ranch’s pedigree. This 2012 shows the sweet spot for Etude Heirloom around the 10–12 year mark, where fruit, earth, and structure harmonize in peak expression. Among Carneros’ top benchmarks for age-worthy Pinot. Cheers! — 9 months ago
Wine Spot $37 8-19-22 — 4 years ago
With tabonette sabich platter — 4 months ago
Clear, medium ruby in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced primary and secondary aromas of raspberries, hibiscus, and potting soil; on the palate, it's dry with high acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol, light body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of cherries, strawberries, and dried leaves with a long finish. This wine is complex and intense with good length. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. — 6 months ago
Lemon gold color with aromas of stone and tropical fruits with citrus, sweet floral and complex spice, no MLF. On the palate flavors of ripe melon, pineapple, apricot and honeysuckle notes with lemon zest and biscuit notes, delicate, complex and well balanced, big and full Chardonnay. Long finish, savory, ending with mineral tones and fresh finish. Will age well. Outstanding! While I usually do not decant whites, this one will benefit to breathe a bit! — 10 months ago
High acidity and citrus notes in this pale Pinot rose. Sublte minty aftertaste. Refreshing and soft on the palate, it’s a very approachable and delicious summer wine. — 4 years ago
Lighter, red fruits. Complex and interesting — 5 years ago
At a Mendocino wedding stumbled on this tasting room a few years back. Brought this home and last night, well, WOW. More of a Grenache gestalt than Syrah after 90 minute decant, pure and layered red bright berry, some bay leaf. Wish I had another bottle to see how this ages. — 6 years ago
A gift from a friend, this is lovely, with a bit of tobacco on the nose and lively cherry and strawberry flavors on the palate. The finish goes on and on. — 2 months ago
Drinking quite nicely at 8+ years — 5 months ago
So Williams Selyem Pinots should be treated is the same fashion as good burgundy, with age. It will always be somewhat sweeter than red burgundy but nonetheless very good.
This shows w/ an array of mid berry fruits accompanied by some darker fruits. Strawberries, cherries, pomegranate, cranberries, raspberries, hint of rhubarb, blackberries and haunting blueberries. Mid berry cola, red licorice, fruit tea, eucalyptus, pine tar notes, pine tree bark, dark, rich soils/earth, dry herbs, mid, dark spice, dry crushed rocks, dry limestone powder, black pepper notes, dry river stone, dry fall leaves, bright florals that are; red, blue, purple with a mix of red & pink roses, late spring waterfall acidity with extreme balance, tension, structure with elegance & smart polish for days and long sets on tree bark/sap & spice.
Still ascending. — 7 months ago
2022. Weather was really encouraging rosé on the patio, so we were happy to oblige! Loads of chunky sediment that was easily kept in the bottle (kind of). Delicious pink grapefruit, strawberry, watermelon. Mouthwatering acidity, but balanced with the fruit. — 3 years ago
This is beautiful. The nose lasts long and smells thick with rose, dry dirt, potpourri, dark ripe fruit. There’s still pretty grippy tannin structure and acidity that makes your mouth salivate and desire more. The rose really comes out on the palate, maybe a touch of lavender, moist funky dirt, ripe mulled blackberries. The finish is long. The ripeness of the blackberry really hits right at the finish and hangs on. Give this a bit of a decant, at least 30 minutes. I want more, but have none. — 4 years ago
Lip smacking, refreshing, light funk — 5 years ago
Maybe the pettiest white wine in the glass I've seen, hauntingly pale. It's got great acid, lots of tart peach, beautiful texture -- feels like it keeps changing long after a sip. I'd lodge where this Naomi lodges, if you catch my drift. #oldtestamentjoke — 6 years ago
Suren Divanyan
2016 Morning Dew Ranch Pinot Noir. Very balanced and smooth. — 2 months ago