1995 Chasseur Carneros Pinot Noir

Chasseur was started in 1994 when California winemaker Bill Hunter decided to make wines under his own name. He had been making wine at Bonny Doon Winery in Santa Cruz and at wineries in Napa Valley. But in 1994 he made a barrel of Chardonnay and another of Pinot Noir and named his brand Chasseur, French for hunter. Today Hunter sources grapes from Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley and elsewhere in Northern California. Chasseur’s production facility is located in Sebastopol where Hunter makes limited production Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros. ?

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.