1994 Talisman Carneros Pinot Noir

Eighty-one cases of Talisman 2001 Carneros Pinot Noir "Kathy's Cuvée" is dedicated to the memory of Kathy Polucha-Kessler, a friend of Scott and Marta Rich. Kathy died in an avalanche while backcountry skiing in British Columbia. Proceeds from this cuvée will benefit the Truckee Donner Land Trust for the construction of a bridge in Kathy's memory. The bridge will be one of the key links of the Donner Lake Rim Trail, a trail system connecting all of the major mountain peaks surrounding Donner Lake in the North Tahoe region of California. This is a project that was near and dear to Kathy's heart.

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.