W.H. Smith Maritime Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
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There's a very good wine in here, but the winery has released it far too early, which shifts the burden of cellaring to the buyer. Right now it's all primary fruit, acidity and oak. But the fruit is beautifully layered in tiers of roasted blackberries, grilled cherries and cola, and the oak is splendid.
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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.