Wild Ridge Pinot Noir 2012
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Tasting Panel
Smooth and juicy with bright cherry and crisp acidity; tangy, fresh and pure; lively, classic and nicely structured; long and lifted
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Fully ripe and very expressive with sweet cherry fruit and creamy oak to spare, this weighty, well-extracted, wide-open Pinot is sure to make devotees of leaner, high acid versions uneasy and likely to look elsewhere for satisfaction, yet it is well-balanced and it shows an uncommonly careful winemaking hand for the sizeable wine that it is. Calling it “elegant” is going a little too far and emphatic richness is clearly its forte, but it has the vitality and solid structural grip to hold for a half-dozen years and gain further refinement as it does.
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Wine Enthusiast
is wine hails from the wilds of Annapolis, an extreme outpost of the Sonoma Coast. Spicy cardamom marks the entry, along with plum, dark cherry, cedar and even a hint of grapefruit, the minerality chiseled and clean. Firm tannins mark a lengthy, full-bodied finish.
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Robert -
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Wong
Wilfred
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Robert
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.