Aromas of black cherry, pine resin, and black currants with hints of cooking chocolate and cinnamon lingering in the background. Flavors of black berries and dark chocolate play over a sinewy, taut structure of mineral laden acidity and fine-grained tannins. In a vintage that threatened to be over-wrought and soft, we were very pleased that the core of our Estate maintained the energy and focus we have come to expect, to support and carry the fruit long into the future.

Over the past twenty years Bethel Heights has been known for crafting limited bottlings of distinctive vineyard and block designated Pinot noir wines. In 2002 we took a new path and produced our first Casteel Reserve Pinot Noir, a blend of barrels from several different blocks, selected to express the epitome of that particular vintage. This is the only Bethel Heights Pinot noir that carries our family name rather than a place name, which gives us considerable poetic license to select our favorite barrels from each vintage, regardless of provenance.