2016 Karo-Kann Pinot Noir Los Carneros Napa Valley 750 ml

The 2016 Karo-Kann Pinot Noir from Los Carneros is a knock-out at a price that is dramatically out of step with prevailing Pinot wisdom, especially in California. This Wine Access Exclusive release balances red raspberries and cherries alongside rose petals and black tea, and boasts Carneros pedigree for less than the standard of a glass of Napa Pinot Noir in most of the country.

And yet here it is, a Pinot Noir that expresses not just the soon-to-be legendary 2016 vintage, but also the thoroughly unique terroirs and micro-climates of Los Carneros. The best Carneros Pinots leverage those factors, as well as the appellation’s “shallow clay soils and ever-present maritime breezes [to produce] richer, denser versions than those from most of Sonoma,” Wine Spectator reported. The region is so perfect for Pinot, Spectator dedicated an entire feature to the “Pinot revival in Carneros.”

This appellation, then, is perfect in that regard—and this particular expression of it is nothing short of shocking in terms of price. The 2016 Karo Kann rings in at less than half of virtually every other Pinot at its quality level in Carneros. The 2016 Cattleya Donum Vineyard Pinot Noir will run around $70 a bottle. The Etude Grace Benoist Ranch Pinot is nearly $40.

Despite being less than half the price of standard Carneros bottlings, the Karo-Kann channels everything that makes these Pinots so unique. Located north of the San Pablo Bay, the fog and breezes from that body of water funnel up to Los Carneros, often bringing the kind of moderate chill that Pinot Noir vines love so much. And with our access to top-quality fruit throughout the state—which we leveraged not only for the Pinot here but for the addition of 4% Malbec, which lends it a depth and structure that make it particularly phenomenal at the table—winemaker Brittany Nichols faced the best problem that any Pinot-loving producer ever does: A surfeit of great juice to work with.

It’s no wonder, then, that she crafted such a magnificent Pinot Noir in 2016. Like the best of them, this layered wine finds an impeccable balance between its fruit and savory notes, with red cherries, raspberries, and bergamot zipping right alongside rose petals, Indian spices, and sarsaparilla. In other words, it’s the perfect evocation of both the cooler climate of Los Carneros and the ample sunshine of Napa. Yet unlike other standout Pinots from Carneros.

Delicious right now, yet worthy of several years of aging in the cellar, Karo-Kann is a legitimate contender for one of the best values in Pinot Noir we’ve seen in a long time.