2019 Belle Glos 'Eulenloch Vineyard' Pinot Noir Premiere Napa Valley Auction
Joseph Wagner clearly takes a lot of pride in this vintage’s auction offering, naming it his finest homage yet to his grandmother, Lorna Belle Glos Wagner. Extended hang time plus nine months in 100% French oak barrels (60% new) brought about the spectacular color, supple mouthfeel, killer acidity and burst of flavor that had us raising the paddle on repeat. “You will be mine,” we said, “Oh yes, you will be mine!” Now it can be yours, it’s just a shame there are only 20 cases for all the world to share.
Sometimes the offspring of a winemaking legacy needs to cut a different path before returning to the home nest. Being raised in the cellars of Napa Cabernet icons, Joe Wagner nonetheless decided that Pinot Noir was his calling. His father Chuck taught him the nuts-and-bolts reality of the field work and hose dragging that go to the heart of winemaking, so he wasn’t walking into the Pinot growing challenge wearing blinders. Joe understands that it’s the minutiae of vineyard work that makes great fruit happen. For the last decade, he’s been dialing up the fruit intensity on the top-shelf properties that make the cut for this project, and the wine world has taken notice. Critics, consumers… you name it. The word is out that Belle Glos has become a major player in the world of seductive California Pinot Noir.