Saintsbury Sundawg Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013
-
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine &
Spirits
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
I had to fight myself in my love for this Pinot Noir. On one hand, the 2013 Saintsbury Sundawg Ridge Vineyard has so much earth. I thought that I fell into my glass and was in the town of Beaune. As I regained my composure, I became entranced and hypnotized. There is no mold for this one, it just plain awesome. Deep ruby, garnet color; aromas of animal and dried leather, intense small berries, dense and complex; medium bodied, firm and solid on the palate; dry, medium acidity, polished leather and ripe berries in the flavors; long finish, seductive aftertaste. (Tasted: May 6, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Spectator
This red offers a rich core of dark berry, licorice, cedary oak, mocha and loamy earth notes. A big style, with lots of flavor nuances, ending with an aftertaste of fresh earth. Drink now through 2022.
-
Wine & Spirits
Primary and as direct as creme de cassis, this has an appetizing solidity to its structure, a stony aspect that shores up its juicy saturation. It’s a bold Green Valley pinot noir for roasted pork loin.
Other Vintages
2015-
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.