Wine of the week: Cuvaison, 2021 Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, Napa Valley

When Steve Rogstad was in his 20s, he lived above a wine shop in Paris, a place that encouraged his curious palate.

“I would stop in and pester the clerks about all the funny names and what did they mean and why was Vosne-Romanée so expensive,” said Rogstad, the winemaker of Napa Valley’s Cuvaison. “That’s where I fell in love with the culture of wine and began attending shows like the Foire de Paris and Salon d’Agriculture, to taste and learn as much as I could.”

Rogstad crafted our wine of the week winner, the Cuvaison, 2021 Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, Napa Valley, 14.3%, $42, 4.5 stars. It’s a gorgeous pinot noir from start to finish, with generous fruit, aromas of wild strawberry and plum and pitch-perfect balance. This striking pinot noir ends with a quench of cranberry.

The winemaker said the house style he’s shooting for is a seamless pinot noir with a vibrant mix of fruit and savory spice notes that are the signature of the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area. The grapes of this pinot noir were groomed in a wind-whipped site not far from the San Pablo Bay, immersed in a maritime climate.

Rogstad has spent most of his professional life making wine in the Los Carneros appellation. He worked at La Crema with winemaker Dan Goldfield, at Saintsbury with Dick Ward and David Graves and at Clos Pegase with wine consultant Ted Lemon.

“With my experience making Los Carneros pinot noir and 20-plus years of guiding our Cuvaison estate vineyard, I believe I have a high level of insight about the pinot noirs from our region,” the winemaker said.

Founded in 1969, Cuvaison is best known for its cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay. In 1979, the winery was acquired by the Schmidheiny family of Switzerland — fifth-generation vintners who still own the winery today.

The Schmidheiny family immediately cemented the winery’s focus on pinot noir and chardonnay by acquiring 400 acres of land north of San Pablo Bay in Napa Valley, vineyard land perfectly suited to those varietals. The winery’s lineup also includes sauvignon blanc, merlot, syrah and sparkling wines.

Now 62, Rogstad was drawn to the wine industry because of his upbringing. Born and raised in North Dakota, he worked summers on his uncle’s farm. Rogstad earned a degree in literature from the University of Washington. But after his stint in Paris living over a wine shop, he was determined to attend graduate school at UC Davis and study enology and viticulture.

What gives Rogstad an edge as a winemaker, he said, is his natural curiosity, attention to detail and calm in the face of challenges.

“I have an even temperament when Mother Nature hurls her inevitable curveballs,” he said. “I take a step back, draw on my reservoir of knowledge and pivot to meet the challenge.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.