2017 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel
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Tasting notes
This label comes from Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel bursts from the glass with exuberant notions of kirsch, cranberry sauce, pomegranate and rose hip tea with hints of underbrush, moss-covered bark, crushed rocks, lavender and a ferrous waft. Medium-bodied, the palate is wonderfully fragrant and delicately played, with fine-grained tannins and a racy line giving bags of energy, finishing with great length and loads of earthy nuances. 515 cases were made.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel got a few expletives in the notes and is a big, rich, powerful, yet always seamless Pinot Noir that’s up with the top wines in the vintage. White flowers, rose petals, vanilla, cedarwood, and loads of ripe cherries and raspberries all flow to a remarkably textured, layered, concentrated Pinot Noir that continues to open and change in the glass. Despite being one of the bigger, richer wines in the lineup, it doesn’t lose a beat with regard to elegance and complexity.
The 2017 Pinot Noir Clos du Ciel is the most earthy, savory Pinot in this range. Sweet tobacco, cedar, leather, licorice and dried herbs add to the wine's distinctive personality. Elegant, nuanced and yet also quite powerful, Clos du Ciel is expressive and full of character.
About the producer
Founded in 1983 by Sir Peter Michael CBE and his wife Margaret, Peter Michael Winery produces some of California’s finest wines.