2012 Kensington Family Cellars Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir grapes love cool climes, and Carneros has become a hub of California Pinot Noir growing. Also known as Los Carneros, the area is unusual in that it includes parts of both Napa and Sonoma counties. It's situated at the far southern sector of each, its environment influenced and defined by its proximity to fog-producing San Pablo Bay. Kensington Family Cellars sources Carneros fruit for its Napa Valley Pinot Noir -- specifically, clones 777 and 667 from a small Carneros vineyard that receives minimal irrigation. Each year, the grapes are harvested by hand, with bunches that are not fully ripened separated from the clusters used to make the wine. Lending further complexity to the 2012 Kensington Pinot Noir was the aging program, which included the use of both French and Hungarian oak barrels, about a third of which were being filled for the first time. The result? A quintessential California Pinot Noir.