About

For nearly three decades we've had the opportunity to roam Carneros, seeking the best Pinot Noir vineyards for our various bottlings. In the last twenty years these have included numerous small non-commercial amounts of select individual vineyard wines for our wine library. We watch how these wines age and how the expression of terroir is nuanced by the specifics of each growing season. We liked the results so we decided to go public with our venture into showcasing the outstanding plantings of the Carneros appellation.

The modern viticultural history of Carneros began on Stanly Ranch in the 1950s when Louis Martini who then owned part of the historic property began a clonal trial of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with UC Davis and another historic California wine family, the Wentes. The well-known Martini and Wente clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay emerged from these trials and were propagated and sold by the Wente grapevine nursery.

The historic ranch of Judge Stanly anchors the southeastern corner of the Carneros, greeting visitors to the Napa Valley as they drive up Highway 29 towards the city of Napa. The fourth incarnation of grape vines on this property began in 2001 with the development of 350-acres of vines using modern clones, spacing and vertical trellising on the property’s clay-loam soils and gently rolling hills. Saintsbury has purchased Stanly Ranch fruit since the 1984 vintage and during the last 20 years it has been a significant source for the Carneros Pinot Noir and Reserve bottlings. Now we come full circle as the Vineyard Series Stanly Ranch replaces the Reserve Pinot Noir in our Pinot Noir lineup.

The 2008 Saintsbury Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir displays a smoky plum nose with notes of dried herbs and a plump mid-palate of morello cherries (or dark cherries) and blackberries. It possesses a long, rich finish with good acid structure and fine tannins.

Reviews

90 pts. Vintage: 2009
Stephen TanzerMay/June, 2011

Bright full red. Higher-pitched on the nose than the Toyon Farm, offering aromas of raspberry, cherry, spices, earth and dill. Juicy and light on its feet, with enticing perfume and floral lift to its flavors of fresh cherry, spices and herbs. Subtly fruity, suave, classically dry pinot, finishing with very fine tannins and dark spices.

Vintage: 2008
Wine SpectatorSeptember 30, 2010

Combines delicate, ripe, up-front plum and black cherry fruit with firmer tannins and mineral and cedary oak touches. Full-bodied, complex and focused, ending with a mix of pastel flavors. Drink now through 2015.

90 pts.Vintage: 2007
Burghound.com4th Quarter, 2009

From Carneros fruit bottled at 14%. A restrained but elegant nose of layered red pinot fruit, earth, herb and a hint of minerality gives way to pure, detailed and attractively textured flavors that are on the lighter side but carry fine flavor authority on the balanced, lingering and solidly complex finish. Lovely.

92 pts.Vintage: 2007
Wine Spectator InsiderJune 3, 2009

Supple, elegant and stylish, showing rich blackberry and blueberry fruit, with pretty loamy, earthy shadings. Gains traction and depth, ending with firm tannins and a pleasing mineral edge. Drink now through 2013.

89 pts.Vintage: 2006
Burghound.comOctober, 2008

Here the nose is every bit as complex as the Brown Ranch with really lovely and attractively subtle spicy red and blue fruit aromas that display a touch of cranberry before merging seamlessly into detailed, pure and delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess a dusty and ever so slightly edgy finish that is presently on the youthfully austere side that comes up just a bit short relative to the Cerise.

90 pts.Vintage: 2005
California GrapevineAugust / September, 2007

Medium-light to medium ruby; attractive, forward, intense, spicy, sweet cherry fruit aroma that developed some complexity with airing in the glass; medium-full to full body; herbal, spicy, elegant, red cherry fruit flavors; well-balanced and structured; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended.

91 pts.Vintage: 2004
Connoisseurs' Guide to California WineFebruary 2007

While never stinting in ripeness and showing plenty of palatal heft, this concentrated and deeply filled young wine does not fit into the fat and viscous model but is instead built along more structured lines and is a wine that will clearly develop with age. Its very rich themes of ripe cherries and rich oak are underlain by a little more tannin than is typical in California Pinot, but its very solid fruit persists past its evident finishing astringency. A satisfying effort now with richer lamb and beef entries, it very much deserves a few more years in the cellar in order to reach its very best.

92 pts.Vintage: 2004
Wine Spectator onlineOctober 23, 2006

A sleek, elegant style with subtle cherry, herb, sage and wild berry flavors enlivened by crisp acidity. Finishes with a smooth, supple texture and excellent length returning to the strawberry and cherry theme.

91 pts.Vintage: 2004
Wine Enthusiast MagazineOctober 2006

89 pts.Vintage: 2004
PinotReport Smart BuyMay/June, 2006

Good full medium red. Rather vague aromas of red fruits and menthol. Rich, spicy, meaty and substantial, with good verve to the red fruit flavors. Conveys an impression of solid extract. This shows sweeter tannins than the basic Carneros and Toyon Farm bottlings, and finishes with lingering fruits and spices.