Winemaker Letter
Spring is a season of light, renewal, and emergence in the vineyard, and the 2023 vintage captures that spirit beautifully. Warmer and more generous than recent years, this was a vintage defined by clarity of fruit and ease of expression, while still preserving the balance and longevity that defines Domaine Serene.
The 2023 harvest also marked my first at Domaine Serene. I arrived onsite just one week before we began picking grapes, tasked with leading a harvest team and stewarding a world-renowned production. So many things were new to me, including new vineyards, new colleagues, a new facility, a new climate, a new community, and a new brand. Yet I found immediate familiarity and comfort in the smells of fermentation.
Having guided warm, bountiful vintages in Sonoma County, California, I relied on the fundamentals of winemaking to allow this sun-drenched vintage to shine. Thoughtful picking decisions and measured extraction preserved freshness while encouraging fresh aromas of Pinot perfume and mouth-coating tannin. Through élevage, I studied the personalities of each vineyard, shaping single vineyards and cuvées that feel both expressive and true to site.
For this spring allocation, we selected cuvées and single-vineyard wines that mirror the character of the season itself. The cuvées highlight harmony through blending, fruit-forward expression, floral notes, and silky texture. The single-vineyard wines provide focused expressions of place, shaped by slope and exposure, adding dimension and structure to the collection.
Together, these wines open gracefully in the glass, showing lifted aromatics, a generous mid-palate, and freshness through the finish. They echo the energy of spring, ready to be enjoyed now while having the potential to age beautifully.
As spring gatherings return, I am excited for these wines to find their way to your table. It is an honor to share my inaugural vintage with you and to usher in the next chapter of Domaine Serene.
Warmly,
Carl Formaker
DOMAINE SERENE WINEMAKER
