100-Points by James Suckling.
An incredible debut wine, showing beautiful aromas of strawberries, cantaloupe, flint and dried seaweed, as well as iodine and dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with Musigny-like power, a magical flex of tannins and closed, poised fruit. Endless. Nothing like this in California pinot noir. Drinkable now, but wait five years if you have the patience.
 
The 2024 vintage will forever hold a special place in our story, marking the release of our Pacific Rock Vineyard Pinot Noir emerges from McDougall, a well-known site in Fort Ross-Seaview. A site we consider a true California Grand Cru, it is the culmination of more than a decade of farming and exploration along the far Sonoma Coast. The 2024 vintage opens with aromas of boysenberry and rose petal open from the glass, giving way to blackberries, savory herbs, Black Doris plum and just-ripe black cherries. Subtle undertones of umami-rich mushroom, black tea, and ocean forest intertwine with strawberry and wet volcanic rock. A thread of coastal salinity lifts the finish, leaving a wine both powerful and graceful, rooted in history yet alive with the energy of the sea. Solely for this inaugural 2024 vintage release, you’ll find on the label a California Mountain Kingsnake, hand painted by our sister Chiara. Both the vineyard and the symbol mark an evolution in our journey, which has been rooted in site, intention, and a reverence for Mother Nature.
Whole cluster pressed • natively fermented in barrel • bottled without fining
 
As winemakers and farmers, Carlo and Dante attribute a great deal of what they have learned to their grandfather Robert and father Tim, both whom influenced them from a young age.
Carlo and Dante’s father Tim was a pioneer for California Pinot Noir in the early 1970s and has always had a tremendous regard for the great wines of Burgundy. To this day his Pinot Noirs from the 1970s are showing incredibly well. Carlo and Dante credit their father’s passion for Pinot Noir as the early inspiration that got them excited at a young age.
Dante studied abroad in Switzerland at the Webster University in Genève as well at UC Davis in California. Carlo studied in France at the University of Aix-en-Provence and in Italy at the University of Milan. After their formal studies were complete Carlo and Dante continued their educational work with the winemaking team lead by their father Tim Mondavi at Robert Mondavi Winery and Opus One.
When Robert Mondavi Winery was sold in 2004, the brothers joined their father Tim, Aunt-Marcia and grandfather Robert as they founded Continuum in 2005.
In 2013 Carlo and Dante founded RAEN winery with the goal to produce world class Pinot Noir on the western hills of the Sonoma Coast. RAEN currently focuses on making three Pinot Noirs, from three unique sites on the Sonoma Coast.