# RAEN Royal St. Robert Cuvée Pinot Noir (2024)

- **Producer:** RAEN Winery
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €85
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** rose, violet, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, plum, orange, herbaceous, cedar, mushroom, forest floor, leather, tobacco

## About this wine

RAEN Winery was founded in 2013 by brothers Carlo and Dante Mondavi with a focus on producing handcrafted, cool-climate Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. The Royal St. Robert cuvée is dedicated to their grandfather, legendary California winemaker Robert Mondavi, whom they credit as their primary mentor. Named RAEN for Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally, the winery practices minimal-intervention viticulture in cool maritime vineyards influenced by fog and ocean breezes from the Pacific.

## Interesting facts

- Named in honor of legendary winemaker Robert Mondavi by his grandsons Carlo and Dante.
- Starting with the 2024 vintage, the label features a monarch butterfly celebrating ecosystem health.
- RAEN stands for Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally.

## Food pairing

The bright coastal acidity and silky, melted tannins of this cool-climate Pinot Noir make it an exceptional partner for earthy, savory dishes. Its medium body aligns naturally with duck, game, and rich salmon, while the subtle herbal undertones complement earthy mushrooms and fresh herbs.

## Wine making process

Grapes are organically farmed and hand-harvested from high-elevation coastal vineyards situated on fine Goldridge sandy loam soils over shale and volcanic bedrock. The wine undergoes spontaneous whole-cluster fermentation using 100% whole bunches and indigenous wild yeasts. It is aged for approximately 10 months in neutral French oak barrels to preserve fresh fruit character and floral complexity, and is bottled unfiltered and unfined.