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! — 2 months ago
Yummy stone fruit aromas, round on the palate with soft but tart lemon curd acidity, nectarine flavors, and peach skin texture. — 3 months ago
Rocco’s takeout and a nice bottle. Not a bad Saturday night. Bonus that the wife is letting me call the ball after dinner. — 17 days ago
Pear and pineapple aromas. Good acidity. Good Santa Barbara stuff. — 2 months ago
Waynesville, NC august 2025, found at wegmans — 3 months ago
Fresh citrus, orange minerality — 17 days ago
Cherries and herb. Medium light feel. It’s very nice. Do again. — a month ago
Dog Point Vineyard combines experience of Ivan and Margaret Sutherland & James and Wendy Healy. Ivan and James met while working at Cloudy Bay Vineyards. Light straw with typical SB aromas adding a touch of floral mineral notes. On the palate flavors of melon and grapefruit with citrus and honeysuckle notes, generous acidity, great mouthfeel with long finish ending with a salty spice character. Exceptional wine! — 2 months ago
Tom Elliot
Founder Northwest Wines
This is the *Dry* Riesling 2002 and at 23 years it’s still very good. Mature for sure but with its faculties intact. There’s a pretty big buzz about Finger Lakes Riesling these days but excellent wines were made there way back then and earlier as well. — a month ago