2018 Etude Pinot Noir Grace Benoist Ranch Carneros 750 ml

“The thing about Etude Pinot Noir is, it’s just a joy to drink.”

With the 94-point Grace Benoist Ranch giving off waves of juicy strawberry, black cherry, fine rose petal, and sandalwood in our glasses, no one had any objections to our Master Sommelier, Sur Lurcero’s appraisal.

The tasting panel paused for a moment to take in what is unquestionably one of Carneros’s greatest Pinot Noirs. From the winery that ushered the windswept AVA into its very existence 40 years ago, the 2018 Etude Grace Benoist Ranch Pinot Noir is, as James Suckling wrote, “vivid,” “opulent,” and “focused,” a true expression of Carneros beauty. 

Carneros is renowned for exuberant, cool-climate Pinot Noir, but Etude’s home vineyard, Grace Benoist Ranch, takes things to another level. The soil here separates this site from the rest: it’s volcanic, unlike the majority of Carneros’s clay-based soils, and provides extra drainage for the tightly spaced vines. Root systems dig deep in search of nutrients and water, ultimately yielding more complex, ultra-concentrated grapes—notes of blueberry, cola, and red plum are just a little bit deeper, the mineral edge is a little clearer, and the crisp, maritime-influenced acidity is just a little brighter. 

Etude’s founder, Tony Soter, spent nearly two decades looking for this spot. One of the most acclaimed winemakers in California history, Soter founded Etude in 1982 while working as a full-time consultant for storied Napa estates like Stag’s Leap, Chappellet, Shafer, and Araujo. Despite his golden touch with Cab, Pinot was always his endgame. 

The 2018 Etude Pinot Noir matches perfect balance and lifted elegance with dazzling sun-kissed ripeness and profound depth. This is at once classic and all too rare.