2013 Domaine Anderson Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

Roederer Enlists All-Stars for Latest New World Wonder

Domaine Anderson ranks as one of Northern California’s most exciting debuts in the last five years. Behind the effort is legendary Champagne house Louis Roederer, which put down roots in Anderson Valley in the early 1980s with Roederer Estate, producer of some of the top sparkling wines in the country. For Domaine Anderson’s inaugural vintage of Pinot Noir in 2012, With an open checkbook Roederer assembled a superstar duo: consulting winemaker Jeremy Seysses, the Burgundy visionary behind Domaine Dujac; and head winemaker Darrin Low, a veteran of Flowers. Their joint effort has produced stunning Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays off 50 acres of estate vineyards in fog-shrouded Anderson Valley. Infused with piercing aromas of ripe cherries, earth, and smoke, this 2013 Pinot Noir shows all the elegance and purity of the terroir as well as the exacting craftsmanship of the powerhouse estate behind the wine. Elsewhere, for up to $50 today just $35.99 per bottle to get in on the ground floor before word gets out about this NorCal rising star.

Jeremy Seysses, who had turned down all previous requests to act as a consulting winemaker, agreed to come on board at Domaine Anderson thanks to the winery’s rigorous focus on making site-specific wines. There’s a reason Roederer chose Anderson Valley from all possible options to be its foothold in the States. The morning fog rolling in over the chilly hillsides, the cleansing winds shooting through the Mendocino mountains, and the radical diurnal temperature shift account for what many believe are the most chiseled, finely delineated Pinot Noirs on the coast.

Low and Seysses subscribe to a minimum-intervention philosophy and organic and biodynamic growing practices, relying on cover crops and natural compost. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted, juice gently extracted via hydraulic basket press. The wine’s gorgeous aromatics are brought to a pitch by slow malolactic fermentation while 16 months of aging help refine the fine, balanced structure. Rarely does Anderson Valley Pinot get any better than this. Make room in the cellar.

Jonathan Cristaldi
Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.00%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork