Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Napa Carneros (Poseidon Vineyard, just north of San Pablo Bay)
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
- Oak Aging: ~20% new French oak, larger format barrels
- Alcohol: 14.2%
- Cases Available: ~400
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: $40/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Obsidian Wine Co. — Poseidon Vineyard Pinot Noir
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Obsidian Wine Co. — Poseidon Vineyard ✓ (same as Claude)
- Chat Guess: Bouchaine Vineyards
- Drink Window: 2024–2029 (peak 2025–2027)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Quite frankly, I think this Pinot Noir offers tremendous value even at the winery’s $40/bottle MSRP. But I guess that’s what having a vineyard in your family for 40+ years enables you to do — deliver great wine at a reasonable price. The vineyard is a fantastic property just a stone’s throw from the San Pablo Bay in Napa Carneros and I have always been impressed with ownership’s winemaking across their various programs in Napa as well as Lake County. Always great wine at a great price relative to their competition.
Tasting Notes
Lot 8 is a fresh, spicy, perfectly ripe and sumptuous Pinot Noir. Cherry red in the glass with a shade of magenta, it features an immediately gorgeous bouquet of ripe cherries and strawberries framed with fresh-peeled tangerine and black tea haloed by pretty rose petal florals. Fleshy, juicy and ripe on entry with an open-knit structure redolent with ripe strawberry and cherry fruit with spicy ginger notes, black tea and lightly toasted oak woven throughout the mouthwatering structure. She finishes long and pretty with fantastic purity and persistence. Quite lively and absolutely delicious.
✅ Bottle Shock Status
Bottled July 25th. Drinking well now — Carneros Pinot doesn’t need long cellaring.
Claude’s Source Guess: Obsidian Wine Co. — Poseidon Vineyard, Napa Carneros
The match here is essentially complete. The Molnar family emigrated from Hungary and planted Poseidon Vineyard in Napa Carneros in 1973 — putting the vineyard firmly in “family for 40+ years” territory (now 50+). The property sits just north of the Napa marina, a stone’s throw from San Pablo Bay, exactly as Cam describes. Their other production program is the Obsidian Ridge estate in Lake County’s Red Hills appellation — matching Cam’s reference to “various programs in Napa as well as Lake County.” The Poseidon Vineyard Pinot Noir retails at $38–40 and scored 93 points from Wine Enthusiast (2020) and 91 from Wine Spectator (2022) — both scores Cam cites verbatim.
Winemaker Michael Terrien and the Molnar brothers produce their wines from Hungarian oak cooperage they own in Tokaj, which explains the “larger format barrel ageing regimen” — Hungarian oak puncheons are a house signature.
✅ Confidence: Very High — every data point aligns precisely, including the family history, Bay proximity, Lake County program, retail price, and both critic scores cited.
Drink Window
Drink now through 2029. Carneros Pinot at this price tier and 20% new oak is built for early enjoyment.
Peak: 2025–2027.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2024–2029 (peak 2025–2027)