Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir 2021

The 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir is a beautifully balanced Pinot Noir. Thanks to a long, moderate growing season and the absence of wildfires and excessive heat, the 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Pinot Noir offers up beguiling aromas and intense flavors, all of which are carried on smooth, silky tannins. Morelllo cherry, pomegranate, cinnamon, and Christmas baking spices immediately come to fore to haunt the nose and grace the palate. In the mouth, the wine’s perfectly ripe tannins artfully frame its rich fruit and spice tones, imbuing a sense of elegance to this richly flavored Fore Family Pinot Noir that weighs in at 14.6% ABV. Moreover, Jim Fore’s deft hand with Pinot Noir coupled with the vintage’s notoriously low yields should ensure this Pinot’s upward trajectory for another 3-5 years. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest serving the 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir at cool room temperature (58°-64° F) after 20-30 minutes of aeration. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2028. Enjoy!

As a balanced, boldly flavored Pinot Noir, the 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir merits the finest fare one can bring to the table. Pairing this Pinot Noir with traditional French classics such as Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon provides great pleasure, but the Fore Family’s Carneros Pinot Noir is equally adept in the company of American classics and rich sauces. Roast duck prepared with a black cherry reduction and served with savory wild rice makes a splendid accompaniment. Wild Alaskan halibut served with an almond and mango salsa provides another tasty companion. Seared Ahi tuna prepared with a fruit chutney or light teriyaki sauce provides another superb pairing. Rack of lamb served with gnocchi, sweet peas, pearl onions, and mushrooms and a perfectly grilled Filet Mignon accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans offer other exciting accompaniments to Fore Family’s delectable 2021 Carneros Pinot Noir. Roast turkey with all the trimmings works splendidly, too. Spiral sliced ham served with crispy homemade fries, a touch of spicy mustard, and several slices of a fine cheese such as Cheddar, Morbier, or Port Salut will also be more than enough to complement Fore Family Vineyard’s excellent 2021 Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir. Enjoy!

California’s most compelling wines emanate from family vineyard plots and are made in tiny lots by families such as the Fore Family. Such wines are highly allocated, generally not available outside of California, and can only be purchased at the winery. This month’s feature, the 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir, belongs to that growing list of exceptional California Pinot Noirs originating from small family vineyards. The 2021 Fore Family Vineyards Carneros Napa Pinot Noir is a mere 140 case production. For decades the Fore Family’s hand-crafted wines have offered tremendous pleasure to a small number of savvy consumers. It’s time for more of our members to hear the family’s compelling story and enjoy the Fore Family’s wines.

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 retired kindergarten teacher, is also fully engaged in the family enterprise from sales to assisting in the vineyards, managing sales meetings, and bookkeeping. 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 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 called Fore-Hill Vineyards and currently farm forty-five 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. They never produce more than 500 cases of any varietal to assure quality.