It only takes a couple of weeks away from the Napa Valley to realize how good our wines are.

Save for the outstanding rieslings and relatively new proprietary reds made by a good friend in Germany’s Schwabenland, most of the wines tasted in eastern Europe on a recent sojourn were nothing to write home about.

So it was with relish that I attended a special event at Domaine Carneros last weekend in celebration of the 2006 pinot noir harvest.

Styled after a renowned chateau owned by one of France’s premier wine families, Champagne Taittinger, the stunning Domaine Carneros winery along the Carneros Highway — with its elegant Louis XV style salon and attractive terraces overlooking nearby scenic hills and vineyards — is a popular stop for valley visitors.

Scheduled for members of Domaine Carneros’ Chateau Society Wine Club, Sunday’s winery tour, tasting and brunch was led by winery president/winemaker Eileen Crane.

Crane reminded attendees that she never expected to produce anything other than sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros. However, when there was more pinot noir fruit than needed for sparkling wine one harvest, Crane crafted a few barrels of still wine with the intent of making it available only to employees.

But owner Claude Taittinger got a taste of the young wine during a visit and urged Crane to add a still pinot to the annual production.

Well, as the saying goes, the rest is history, as Domaine Carneros is recognized as one of the top pinot noir producers in the region.

Now using sustainable farming practices, Domaine Carneros is in the enviable position of making wines from only estate fruit, grown on about 300 fertile acres in the Carneros district.

Elaine St. Clair, co-winemaker and production manager, was on hand to oversee cellar operations as the pinot noir harvest is in full swing in the red wine cellar — an addition to the winemaking operation in 2003. As an aside, this structure contains the world’s largest winery solar collection system.

We watched skilled hands paw through grapes on the new sorting table and freshly harvested fruit dumped into open-top fermenters ready to turn the 2006 pinot noir harvest into seductive wine. On average, fermentation takes between 10 and 14 days, provided the finicky pinot noir grape doesn’t have any tricks up her sleeve.

Crane explained that Domaine Carneros vineyards are planted with seven pinot noir clones, with heritage clones like Martini, Pommard, Swan and Madonna providing the backbone of the blends, the Dijon clones adding nuance.

Domaine Carneros offers a trio of pinot noir wines. Avant-Garde, the newest of the offerings, provides consumers wines with upfront fruit, while the Estate pinots speak to the quality fruit in the vineyard. The limited production Famous Gate bottlings are the most stylish  wines, designed to show the winemaker’s hand, says Crane.

Attendees at Sunday’s harvest celebration got to taste the newly released pinot noirs from the 2004 harvest, one that, according to Crane, produced quality fruit on a par with its immediate predecessor.

Domaine Carneros 2004 Avant-Garde Pinot Noir ($22): Designed to be the vanguard of each vintage, this is the pinot you’ll want to drink first. It’s the fruit forward representative of the vintage, an intensely aromatic pinot that smells of black cherries and black tea. The brilliant ruby color promises — and delivers — cherry and autumn baking spice on the palate, with a slightly dry, lingering finish. This one’s sure to pair with poached (or even grilled) salmon or roasted rosemary chicken. Available only at the winery.

Domaine Carneros 2004 Carneros Pinot Noir ($30): Indicative of a smaller-than-normal harvest (whatever that is), this is a concentrated wine that also combines cherries and baking spice in both aroma and taste. A full, round wine with a long, silky finish, this wine speaks to its pedigree — first class fruit and 10 months of aging in French oak. But the toasty oak here amounts to an agreeable accent, helping identify other subtle flavors of the blend, such as a hint of blueberry and a shaving or two of bittersweet chocolate. Serve this with game birds, a Sunday veal roast or a garlic-studded leg of lamb, slowly roasted in the oven.

Domaine Carneros 2004 Famous Gate Pinot Noir ($55): In its still wine program, this is the equivalent of Domaine Carneros’ sparking “tête de cuvée, La Rêve. Absolutely delicious, this is a wine that is drinking well now, but you know will age gracefully for a number of years. It has hints of smoke along with baking spice in the nose, with blackberries and cherries vying for attention on the lingering palate. It’s a velvety wine, one that displays the finesse of the cellar where it spent 10 months in small French oak barrels. This is an exceptional wine, lots of glorious fresh fruit layered with spice and chocolate. Pair this with hearty game dishes, braised and roasted meats. Available only at the winery.

Turns out Domaine Carneros has one more goody tucked away in the red wine cellar. It’s a merlot Crane has been making for six vintages now. Seems that the winery purchased a 30 acre vineyard in 1993, and five acres were planted to merlot. It was under contract to a winery and when that winery didn’t take the fruit in 2001, Crane and company made their own merlot for the tasting room sales program.

Domaine Carneros 2003 Avant-Garde Merlot ($27):  This is the third vintage of Domaine Carneros merlot, a lush, velvety representation of the varietal. Blackberries, black tea and a hint of cinnamon combine in the nose, while the spicy, fruit forward flavors here focus on blackberries with a subtle lingering blueberry note on the finish. Available only at the winery.