Cattleya “Alma de Cattleya” 2019 Pinot Noir Sonoma

Bibiana González Rave is the founder and winemaker of Cattleya Wines. She is also the wife of star winemaker Jeff Pisoni.  Born and raised in Colombia and trained as a winemaker in France, she moved to California in 2007 to settle into making extraordinary wines.  In her words: “Since my early teenage years, my dream has been to make wine. At a very young age I was fortunate enough to begin learning how to make wine in France. I trained myself while working with some amazing winemakers who showed me the importance of loving the land, how to respect the farming itself, and to focus on the many details that go into making each drop of wine in each and every bottle.”  She also makes the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for Pahlmeyer and owns the “Shared Notes” wine venture with husband Jeff Pisoni

Tasting Notes: This is a great taste of the freshness of Sonoma without the sticker shock, showing freshly pressed red berries, vanilla and wet slate on the nose. It’s light in density on the sip, so the flavors of cranberry, carnation, wet earth and brown spice sail effortlessly across the palate.

Winemaker Notes: “Beautifully pure notes of macerated strawberry, raspberry, and red cherry are perfectly balanced by savory notes of baking spice, sage, and sous bois as this wine finishes with bright acidity and velvety tannins.”

Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points: “Beautiful cherry and strawberry fruits as well as spice, flowers, and sandalwood emerge from the 2019 Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied, seamless Pinot Noir from this label that will drink nicely for 3-5 years. It has classic Pinot Noir elegance and complexity as well as California fruit.”