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Capiaux, Pinot Noir, “Chimera”

California, United States 2014 (750mL)
$34.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Capiaux, Pinot Noir, “Chimera”

California’s Russian River Valley has become a go-to appellation for lovers of a more opulent style of Pinot Noir, and the region has enough of a cachet that pricing can get pretty opulent as well. I often find Russian River Pinots to be a little too rich, in both senses of the word, but this wine from Capiaux hit the spot for us in every way.
It’s got the tension, savor, and lift I often find missing in the region’s reds, even as it delivers the pure fruit the Russian River Valley is so justly famous for. In a category teeming with relatively expensive bottles of cola-scented Pinots, Capiaux’s 2014 “Chimera” is both classically proportioned and very reasonably priced. It’s a New World Pinot Noir a Burgundy geek like myself can appreciate—and, beyond that, drink with pleasure. Chimera balances perfumed fruit and delicate earth tones—a hat-tip to Burgundy—while still retaining a sense of place. I couldn’t stop sipping it, and I suspect it’ll have the same effect on you. Price-to-quality rarely gets this good in the California Pinot Noir market!
Capiaux took the name “Chimera” from a female monster in Greek mythology comprised of three different animals—a reference to the three diverse vineyard sources that originally made up this wine, which was first released in 2001. Like so many young wine talents in California, he launched his eponymous label while also having a “day job,” and over the years he’s done stints at Jordan, Peter Michael, and Pine Ridge; at one point, while his wife was studying at Cornell in New York, he went bi-coastal, taking gigs with Long Island wineries such as Macari and Schneider. These days, he’s the winemaker at O'Shaughnessy, in the Howell Mountain appellation of Napa Valley, and makes his Capiaux wines there.

“Chimera” is a multi-vineyard, multi-appellation blend, but carries the Russian River Valley appellation since the predominance of the fruit hails from four Russian River sites. This is Capiaux’s largest-production bottling, although at 1,500 cases it’s hardly a mass-market item. The wine is aged in 350-liter French oak barrels (slightly larger than a barrique, which is 225 liters), about 10% of which are new.

The 2014 Chimera leads with a dark core of berry compote fruit, which is balanced beautifully by bright acidity and a subtle framing of tannin. In the glass, it’s a concentrated ruby-red with pink highlights at the rim. The aromas are a seductive mix of black cherry blossoms, red and black raspberry, potpourri, dried mushrooms, and damp forest-floor note. It has a silky texture but there’s enough acid to keep everything refreshing and bright. Highly enjoyable right out of the bottle, it will also make a nice short-term ager (5-7 years) should you decide to lose a few bottles in your cellar. I’m always drawn to Pacific salmon with wines like this, and as that season begins in earnest it makes even more sense. Give it an ‘autumnal’ twist as in the attached recipe. Enjoy!
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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesRussian River Valley
Soil
Mixed
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
14.6
OAK
10% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2022
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Salmon Fillets w/ Mushroom Ragout

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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