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There is a certain magic to Carneros in early autumn—the fog still lingers in the morning, cool breezes sweep in from San Pablo Bay, and the vineyards begin to glow with golden light. It’s the kind of place where Pinot Noir feels perfectly at home, ripening slowly under a gentle sun and developing the poise and aromatic lift that wine lovers chase from one vintage to the next. Few wines capture that sense of place as vividly as the 2021 Obsidian Wine Co. Pinot Noir Poseidon Vineyard Carneros, Peninsula Underground’s September wine of the month.
In the glass, the wine opens with an aromatic flourish of red cherry, wild strawberry, and rose petal, accented by a snap of orange rind and a subtle hint of tea leaf. The palate is vibrant and medium-bodied, marked by lively acidity and fine-grained tannins that give the wine a graceful, almost weightless feel. Aging in Obsidian’s signature Hungarian oak barrels adds baking-spice notes—clove, nutmeg, and a whisper of toasted grain—without overwhelming the fruit. The finish is clean and persistent, leaving the impression of elegance over power.
Beyond its flavor, the wine is an outstanding value. Priced in the mid-$30s to $40 range, it offers single-vineyard precision and pedigree at a price well below many Carneros peers, which often push beyond $50 for similar quality. That balance of craftsmanship and approachability has long been a hallmark of Obsidian Wine Co., a family-run winery led by brothers Peter and Árpád Molnar, along with co-founder Michael Terrien, and winemaker Alex Beloz. Their Poseidon Vineyard—planted in 1973 on the southern edge of Napa Carneros near the Napa Marina—anchors the winery’s Pinot Noir program and represents one of the district’s pioneering sites.
The vineyard’s location is critical to its character. Nestled near the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River, Poseidon benefits from bay-cooled afternoons and fog-draped mornings, conditions that preserve acidity and allow fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. Gravelly, well-drained soils add another layer of finesse, helping deliver the brightness and spice-tinged red-fruit profile that define this wine. Adding to its uniqueness, Obsidian ages its wines in barrels from Kádár Hungary, a cooperage the team co-owns, which imparts subtler spice and structure than standard French oak.
Like the Carneros region itself, the 2021 Poseidon Vineyard Pinot Noir is defined by balance—between fruit and spice, freshness and depth, elegance and value. It’s a bottle that not only reflects its place but also evokes the season when Carneros is at its most beautiful—early autumn, when fog, light, and vine come together to remind us why Pinot Noir thrives here. Opening a bottle feels like stepping into that moment, one sip at a time.
Learn more about Obsidian Wine Co., purchase their wine, and follow them here:
https://www.obsidianwineco.com
@ObsidianWineCo
