Freddy R. Troya

9.4

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

Erik Longabardi

9.2

Lovely. 2014 — 4 years ago

Mike Colantonio

9.4

Very smooth blend. Not too acidic. Not sweet. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I kid you not, Charles Hendricks is likely the most underrated & under known Winemaker in Napa Valley.

If you have not had his wines, you are missing out on great wines & relative real value for Napa. He makes his own private higher end label-Hendricks, Hope & Grace and midway through the 14 vintage for; James Cole, Regusci & T-Vine.

There are few Winemakers that can make wines that drink well young & some that will age two decades plus stored correctly.

This Santa Lucia Doctor’s Vineyard is really good but, his private label Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is off the charts. His 2008 Hendricks Pinot Noir is the highest rating I have ever given a Ca Pinot Noir, 98.

The 13 Doctor’s Vineyard is better than his 12 & is still a little early right now. It will improve over the next 5 years & hold there a couple of years before its gentle decline.

The nose reveals, ripe, well extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with shades of blueberries. Dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, touch of savory meats, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender.

The body is full, rich, lush and gorgeous. The structure, tension, length and balance are just hitting their good phase. It is simply a beautiful & complex Pinot Noir. Nicely extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with more blueberries than the nose. Dark spices that bring palate heat, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanilla, touch of savory meats, peppery notes, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender. The acidity is very good & excellent at containing the slightly higher ABV. The long, complex finish is, well balanced fruit & earth, polished and will persist until dawn.

Photos of; Their Doctor’s Vineyard, one of my favorite paintings that used to hang behind the bar in their tasting room & now hangs in Charles’ house (it reminds me of a Jackson Pollock), Winemaker-Charles Hendricks and the front of their tasting room in downtown Yountville.
— 6 years ago

Brian Tuite

9.4

I should really be buying and drinking much more of this. — 7 years ago

Janna Lister

9.2

Found at Costco - — 9 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Decant and pour. On the nose: Terrific nose of stewed plum, eucalyptus, herbaceous, smoke, black olives, and mushroom. Taste: smooth, creamy, dry wine with blackberry, pencil lead, dried herbs, smoke, dark cherry, earth, and a medium finish. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

Oliver N

9.3

Tart black cherry, anise, pine and alpine vibes, high acidity, low spicy tannins.
A beautiful Cali Barbera with the acidity and spice of Piemonte, with the high toned fruit of California sunshine. I love! — 5 years ago

Jamie Lauder

9.0

2012 vintage bought at the winery. Deep rich purple colour. Big black fruit aromas with kirsch, cardomann and black pepper. This is a smooth wine. Spicy ripe blackberry and cherry, baker’s spice and vanilla. Medium acidity and tannins, I wish it had more lift at the finish. Don’t get me wrong, this is a nice wine. — 6 years ago

Kerry Bunting

9.3

Taste like strawberries 🍓. Lightly tannic. Light & bright. Good w/ or w/o food. Not funky, but tasty. — 6 years ago

Madeline Warren

9.0

Watermelon aqua fresca, grassy, sour cherry on the finish. Nice minerality. — 7 years ago

Jenks

9.1

Frequent crusher. Such lovely balance between oily custard texture and acidity. — 7 years ago

George Hesse

9.6

I really like this one!!! Jennifer didn’t like the color or the nose but I disagree. The color is very light and the nose is quite pleasant. Very similar to a Pinot Noir. — 8 years ago

with Jennifer

TwiLea Fletcher

8.9

07.1125
Quite quite nice. — 10 months ago

Aaron Rosenberg

9.0

Had side by side with Austin Hope cab and could barely taste a difference. Amazing value! — 2 years ago

Ben Lehman

9.3

What can I say I love anything Angela makes, and the new Tribute to Grace tasting room in Los Alamos is a gem. My Dad declared this was his favorite wine ever and my mom is from nearby Cucamonga, so let’s just say everyone was happy. For that reason, wine of our trip out west after not seeing the folks for 18 months. As always, just incredibly elegant Grenache, light on its feet, but not without its nuanced power — 5 years ago

Yuki Watanabe

9.1

Burst of ripe fruits with hint of Tabasco, opens up very quick, taste of chocolate, beautiful wine by itself — 6 years ago

Brian R

9.4

Sulfur free barbera. So fresh and alive. Really bright crunchy cranberry, raspberrry, pomegranate. — 7 years ago

Joyce Brooks

9.5

Dependable good taste! $13 H-E-B — 7 years ago

Keith Watson

9.4

West London Wine — 7 years ago