2017 Raen Royal St. Robert Pinot Noir

Region: Sonoma Coast < California
Grape: Pinot Noir   
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; whole cluster pressed; aged in neutral French oak barrels; bottled without fining or filtration; 13% ABV; 100 cases 
Winemaker: Carlo & Dante Mondavi

RAEN is the natural wine project of Carlo and Dante Mondavi, grandsons of Robert, who honed their winemaking talents during a stage in France, interning for Burgundy legends Domaine Dujac and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)*, the 'KING of Burgundy’ and the source of the most sought after (and expensive) wine in the world.  They even leveraged their connections to secure ultra-exclusive French oak barrels normally only available to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC).  So there's that.  But Pinot Noir prowess aside, what we really love about the Mondavi brothers is that they are not just talking the sustainability talk (RAEN stands for ‘Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally’), but walking the walk with their beyond-organic farming practices in which biodiversity is the key element. And also the Monarch Challenge.

The Royal St. Robert Cuvée, named in honor of their legendary grandfather Robert, is a portrait of the wild and windy Sonoma Coast from which it hails.  It's a hippie potpourie of crunchy red fruit, wet crushed rock, damp forest floor, and rose petals, with bright acid and a long, luxurious finish.  Elegant, cerebral and crushable all at once.