Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir 2017

Fore Family has proven to possess the Midas touch with Carneros Pinot Noir. Few California producers can fashion a Pinot as bold and beautiful as the 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir, yet still retain the elegance and complexity for which the finest Pinot Noirs are renowned. The 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir does that and more, offering up savory scents of Morello cherries, woodland blackberries and a cornucopia of enticing spices from the minute it is poured. Faithful to the Fore style, the wine’s beckoning aromatics follow through on the palate, carried on a bed of silky tannins that continue to caress the palate long after the wine has been swallowed. Unfolding slowly with each sip, the wine’s hauntingly beautiful fruit, exotic spice, and fresh forest floor tones are an absolute delight. And given Fore Family’s track record for crafting Pinot Noirs that continue to improve in bottle and drink well for up to a decade or more, you can bet the 2017 Fore Family Carneros Napa Pinot Noir will be even more enticing tomorrow than it is today. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest decanting the 2017 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir for an hour before serving at cool room temperature (58°-62° F). Anticipated maturity: 2019-2027. Enjoy!

As savvy Pinot Noir lovers have come to expect from the Fore Family, the 2017 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir rises to the gastronomic delights of the most talented chefs. Certainly, traditional, richly-flavored Burgundian specialties such as Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon make ideal companions to Fore Family’s complex Carneros Napa Pinot Noir, but then so do American classics such as roast turkey with onion and sage stuffing, as this full-flavored Pinot Noir is an ideal match for savory meals. Duck Confit or nearly any other duck dish prepared with a cherry or blackberry reduction and served with wild rice makes a splendid accompaniment, too. Alaskan halibut and seared Ahi tuna prepared with fruit chutney or a light teriyaki sauce will provide other superb companions to Fore Family’s 2017 Carneros Napa Pinot Noir. Rack of lamb accompanied by gnocchi, sweet peas, pearl onions and mushrooms offers another tasty companion to Fore Family’s 2017 Carneros Napa Pinot Noir. Veal stews and truffle-infused risottos offer more hearty accompaniments to this wine. Spiral-sliced ham served with crispy sweet potato fries, a touch of spicy mustard, and several slices of the finest Cheddar, Morbier, or Port Salut cheeses will also be enough to complement Fore Family Vineyard’s excellent 2017 Carneros Napa Pinot Noir. Bon Appétit!

At the International Wine of the Month Club, we are continually in search of world-class Pinot Noir, which is not the easiest task, especially if one is averse to taking out loans to afford the pleasure. Happily, many of California’s most compelling wines continue to arise from select vineyard plots whose grapes are crafted in tiny lots by families such as the Fore Family. Pinot Noirs such as Fore Family’s Carneros Napa are highly allocated, generally not available outside of California, and quite often can only be purchased at the winery.

This month’s feature, the 2017 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir, exemplifies not only the individual quality and consistency one can expect from the Fore Family, it underscores the fact that so many of California’s most compelling wines, Pinot Noirs in particular, now emanate from a growing list of exceptional small family vineyards and wineries. The 2017 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir is a mere 225 case production from one of Northern California’s finest Pinot Noir producers. And like its Fore Family predecessors, it is a wine that will garner considerable accolades and medals once the critics taste it. Sadly, when that happens, none will be left to purchase.

Fore Family Vineyards began in 1986 when Jim Fore won first place with his Pinot Noir in the Napa Town and Country Fair home winemaking division. This accolade gave Jim the impetus to plant a small vineyard in the back yard. Since then, the Fore family passion to grow grapes and make wine has grown to sixty acres in Napa and Lake Counties and a multi-generation family affair.

Jim’s wife Diane, a Kindergarten teacher, is also fully engaged in the family enterprise from sales to assisting in the vineyards, managing sales meetings, and bookkeeping, while still teaching part time. From the beginning, Fore Family Vineyards was meant to be a family affair, but the couple’s children, Melissa and Eric, were too young at the onset to commit to that endeavor. However, as adults, they now share the pleasures of wine and actively work in producing Fore Family Vineyards’ wines.

From a tiny backyard vineyard, the Fores have expanded their wine enterprise. “In 1995, Koerner Rombauer told Jim Fore that if you're going to get involved in the wine industry, you need to take it from the very beginning to the end— grapes to wine.” Jim jumped in feet first. Before he was officially in the wine business, Jim acquired grapes for home winemaking use from Doug Hill. Little did Jim know then that the two would become grape growing partners just a few years later. Jim and Doug formed a partnership, Fore-Hill Vineyards, and currently farm 45 acres across five vineyards in the Napa Valley.

Fore Family Vineyards manages Cobb Mountain vineyard and does the majority of the farming responsibility on that property. Farming practices are sustainable which means that they don’t take out without putting back. They plant cover crops, which are a mixed blend that includes legumes to increase nitrogen and act as green compost. Cover crops are planted in alternating rows each year, which in turn alternates the rows that are tilled. The Fores also maintain the balance between vine canopy and crop, so as to control yields. Fore Family Vineyards believes this is a responsible way to farm the land, so that their endeavors can sustain further generations.

Fore Family Vineyards crafts their wines at Laird Family Estate. Although Pinot Noir has earned the Fore Family considerable press and attention, they produce other award-winning wines, including exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from the Red Hills of Lake County, juicy full-bodied GSM, and a tasty white wine from 100% Grenache. In total, the family produces less than 1000 cases of wine and never more than 500 cases of any single varietal to assure hand-crafted quality.