Dec 30, 2022
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Kent Rasmussen Winery & Ramsey Wines
| Owner(s) | Cecilia Ramsey Rasmussen, Kent Rasmussen |
| Web site | www.kentrasmussenwines.com |
| Link to this site |
Kent Rasmussen's interest in winemaking started when as a high school foreign exchange student he spent time with a winemaking family in Germany. He later graduated from the University of California at Davis and learned his early winemaking at the Robert Mondavi Winery, Domaine Chandon, Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery in South Africa and Saltram's Wine Estate in Australia's Barossa Valley.
Rasmussen planted 6 acres of Pinot Noir in Carneros in 1979, at a time when there were few vineyards planted in that region. Two more acres were added in 1981 and two more in 1986. Rasmussen gained his early recognition with Pinot Noirs produced from that vineyard beginning in 1986. The Ramsey label was launched in 1989 using Kent's wife Celia's maiden name, Ramsey. Winemaking moved from Carneros to St. Helena in 1995. Kent Rasmussen Winery may be the only continuous producer of Napa Carneros Pinot Noir from a single vineyard and by a single vintner for 25 years. There is a Pinot Noir clone named after Rasmussen.
Several wine varietals are produced under the Kent Rasmussen Winery label including Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling and late-harvest Viognier. The sister label, Ramsey, offers value priced wines aimed for the restaurant and retail market.
Tours and tasting are available by appointment (707-963-5667) at the winery on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena.
Articles About Kent Rasmussen Winery & Ramsey Wines
Reviewed Wines
2008 Esoterica by Kent Rasmussen Carneros Pinot Noir
13.5% alc., $17.
·
Moderately dark reddish-purple
in the glass. Ripe to overripe dark fruits on the nose with tones of earth, sap and red hard candy. Moderately
rich and savory on the palate with a generous offering of earth-kissed plum and black currant fruit with a slight
roasted and herbal quality. Very soft in the mouth and easy to drink. Good.
Reviewed August 24, 2010
ARTICLE »
2007 Kent Rasmussen Winery Carneros Pinot Noir
13.7% alc., pH
3.60, TA 0.55, $40. Grapes for this vintage were picked at night for the
first time and at a much lower sugar level than recent vintages. Kent
feels that the 2007 “is one of the most complex and long lived Pinot
Noirs that I have ever made.” Aged in 40% new and 6-% once-used
Hungarian oak barrels.
·
Moderate light in color with a reddish tone in
the glass. Aromas of cherry cobbler and sassafras. Delicious and elegant
with a bright core of black cherry fruit accented with a kiss of toasty oak and
mocha. Ephemeral in style with supple tannins, impeccable balance, and
oozing pinotosity. This is a wine that impresses with style and doesn’t knock
you over with fruit. Even better the next day from a previously opened and recorked
bottle. A wine winemakers dream of making.
Reviewed July 1, 2011
ARTICLE »
2008 Esoterica by Kent Rasmussen Carneros Pinot Noir
13.5% alc., $17. · Moderately dark reddish-purple in the glass. Ripe to overripe dark fruits on the nose with tones of earth, sap and red hard candy. Moderately rich and savory on the palate with a generous offering of earth-kissed plum and black currant fruit with a slight roasted and herbal quality. Very soft in the mouth and easy to drink. Good. Reviewed August 24, 2010 ARTICLE »
2007 Kent Rasmussen Winery Carneros Pinot Noir
13.7% alc., pH 3.60, TA 0.55, $40. Grapes for this vintage were picked at night for the first time and at a much lower sugar level than recent vintages. Kent feels that the 2007 “is one of the most complex and long lived Pinot Noirs that I have ever made.” Aged in 40% new and 6-% once-used Hungarian oak barrels. · Moderate light in color with a reddish tone in the glass. Aromas of cherry cobbler and sassafras. Delicious and elegant with a bright core of black cherry fruit accented with a kiss of toasty oak and mocha. Ephemeral in style with supple tannins, impeccable balance, and oozing pinotosity. This is a wine that impresses with style and doesn’t knock you over with fruit. Even better the next day from a previously opened and recorked bottle. A wine winemakers dream of making. Reviewed July 1, 2011 ARTICLE »