2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros

94 Points, The Tasting Panel Magazine
91 Points, Wine Spectator
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast

Tasting Notes

The Schug Estate Vineyard sits at the base of a high ridge on the western edge of Carneros in Sonoma County. Rocky soils and gusty afternoon winds result in small berries with richly concentrated aromas and flavors. This wine highlights several clones of Pinot Noir grown on individual blocks, each vinified and aged separately. Dark fruit characteristics of the Pommard clone are enhanced by the soft, ripe, and mineral-driven notes from the Martini clone, while bright fruit components from the Dijon clone round out the wine. The fruit was hand-picked at night. After de-stemming, the must spent three days cold-soaking in stainless steel punch-down fermenters and small open-top bins. Following a 12-day fermentation, the wine transferred to
30% new and 70% 1-3 year-old French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and 14 months aging. The wine was then bottled unfined & unfiltered.

Specs

• Vineyards: 100% Schug Carneros Estate Vineyard, 100% Carneros Appellation
• Clones: 77% Pommard 5 | 16% Dijon 115 | 4% Pommard 4 | 3% Martini 13
• Fermentation: Cold soaked for 3 days, followed by a 12-day fermentation in stainless steel punch-down fermenters and open-top bins with punch downs up to 3 times daily
• Harvest Dates: Sep. 8 - 25, 2021
• Brix at Harvest: 24.7 degrees
• Aging/Cooperage: Aged 14 months in 30% new and 70% 1-3 year old French oak barrels
• Alcohol: 14.0% by volume
• Acidity: 6.5g/L
• pH: 3.44
• Production: 420 cases

What’s Included

3-bottles:

• 3x 2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros
  Case:
• 12x 2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros

Price Comparison

$720/Case for 12x 2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros at Schug Winery

About The Winery

• Winery: Schug Winery
• Owners: Schug Family
• Founded: 1980
• Location: Sonoma, CA

For four decades, Schug Carneros Estate has crafted cool-climate, age-worthy wines from the rolling hills of Sonoma County’s Carneros region. Founded in 1980 by German-born Walter Schug — after a pioneering winemaking career at Joseph Phelps — and his wife Gertrud, the winery is now led by their children Axel, Claudia, and Andrea. German-American winemaker Johannes Scheid brings modern touches to the family’s century-long European winemaking tradition, which emphasizes balanced wines that respect and represent their terroir.

Walter Schug Founder

Schug’s heritage goes beyond its four decades in Sonoma, reaching back over 100 years to when Walter’s father began farming a Pinot Noir estate in Germany’s Rheingau region that was originally planted in the 12th century. Then came the historic era in Napa Valley where Walter led grower relations for E & J Gallo, helping manage one-third of Northern California’s vines, before moving to Phelps where he crafted the inaugural Insignia bottling and received the first 99-point score from Robert Parker. Walter’s love of Pinot Noir led him to establish his own label, first made at Phelps after that winery stopped producing the variety, and eventually to put down roots with his own estate vineyard and winery in Carneros.

Schug Winery lies on the far western edge of Carneros, five miles south of the town of Sonoma on a hilltop with sweeping views of the Sonoma Valley. The family’s 42-acre estate vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - the two varietals most commonly planted in the region. The Carneros District lies at the cool southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. An area of low hills and flatlands, the region is profoundly affected by cool marine air from the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. During the summer, a ceiling of fog hovers over the vineyards in the morning, clearing as the day warms. On the Schug estate, the fog is replaced in the a ernoon by summertime winds that come rushing through the Petaluma Gap, funneling in cold air from the Pacific Ocean. The cooler late a ernoon temperature protects the acidity in the grapes, while strong winds slow down photosynthesis, resulting in riper flavors at lower sugar levels. The wind also results in smaller berries with thicker skins, giving the wines a unique savory and spicy character that is a signature of the estate’s unique terroir.

Available States

AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY

Estimated Delivery

Monday, Oct 14 - Tuesday, Oct 15

2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir
3 bottles for $89.99 $30/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $299.99 $25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping

I have tasted several different vintages of this wine (but not 2021) and it is a solid Pinot. Especially if you like that Carneros “funk”. I do, very much, but it’s not for everyone.

How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir - $60 = 16.66%

Hello everyone!
Your “start your week by buying all the wine” lab rat reporting for duty. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardiness—couldn’t wait until the 1 AM opening…

This review is for the 2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros. My two coworkers and I used the UC DAVIS 20-POINT SYSTEM for this tasting.

CLARITY (2 POINTS): 1.5
Almost like beet juice.

COLOR (2 POINTS): 2
Definitely the right tone for a fuller and dense Pinot.

BOUQUET (4 POINTS): 2
Maybe we tried it too early, but it was muted with hints of dark soil/wet cardboard.

TOTAL ACIDITY (1 POINT): 0.7
We detected acidity, but it was mild and pleasant—not pungent.

SWEETNESS (1 POINT): 0.8
Round and soft, like well-brewed, unsweetened rose tea.

BODY/TEXTURE (2 POINTS): 1.5
Just enough body to coat your palate and linger for a good 30-40 seconds.

FLAVOR/TASTE (2 POINTS): 1.9
This was the toughest part… the dominant flavor was boiled cherry cola, followed by concentrated black and rose tea.

ACESCENSY (BITTERNESS) (1 POINT): 1
Zero bitterness detected.

OVERALL QUALITY (4 POINTS): 3.5
This wine makes you want to open one of your top-shelf bottles just for comparison, and you’ll nod in agreement with your reasoning. The wine kept evolving and improving with each sip.

TOTAL SCORE: 14.9

COMMENT:
By the time we all agreed that this is a great bottle of Pinot and ready for in-depth observation, the wine was gone… My casemates purchasing instinct screams that this will be a black-tie kind of deal and probably around $25 per bottle. (Q: Is it worth it? A: I don’t think I can find a Pinot at this caliber for under $25 for sure.)

Thank you, Alice, for the opportunity to sample my favorite varietal.

Cheers, everyone!

Love Shug wines, so glad to see them on here

Hello Everyone,

First time “Lab Rat” report here. This will be more of a “everyday Joe” review in terms of formality.

This review is for the 2021 Schug Estate Grown Pinot Noir, Carneros. Here are some of my notes I jotted down while I tasted.

Poured in to one of my favorite glasses, large with a large taper towards the top to capture the the nose. The color on first impression was a little lighter than I expected - somewhere between a deep pink and light ruby.

The nose was light but with clean discernible flavors, and seemed to intensify with time.

The taste is of dark cherry, with some flower. While the impression is fruit, it is not sweet. Very well balanced, with a nice finish.

This is a top notch CA Pinot and would be great with fish. - sea bass for my tasting.

To my mind, this represents a great offering given the price point and superb quality of the wine.

Food friendly; palate friendly; I’m in for a case. Not sharing! Shug is quality and… I’m in!