Winemaker Notes
Nash Mill vineyard is located on a southern profile in the Eastern hills, at the cool northern end of the Anderson Valley. Its location is within a large cold air drainage which further moderates temperatures and slows grape ripening. The typical harvest at Nash Mill is about 2 weeks later than many other vineyards in the Anderson Valley.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Another dazzler from the Nash Mill Vineyard in the Deep End of the Anderson Valley, its coolest part. It's beautifully fresh Pinot Noir with savory herbs, Oceanic salinity and juicy cherry flesh aromatics. The palate is concentrated with rays of fresh marine salinity shooting across a palate of deep pomegranate fruits and white pepper. Delicious.
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Wine & Spirits
Mark and Katie Wentworth farm this vineyard in the Deep End of Anderson Valley, 12 miles from the Pacific, located between two creeks that drain cold air down the hillside. Brian Mast and Jennifer Waits have based their winemaking in San Francisco, since their first vintage in 2005; now, in collaboration with winemaker Shalini Sekhar, they continue to work in the city, though the distance doesn’t seem to have impacted this wine. Its remarkable energy is apparent from the scent. There’s plenty of oak influence, but the wine supersedes it, bristling with the cool fragrance of spring roses. From there, the wine improves markedly with a day of air, subtle and fine in its baked-strawberry scent, the tannins present but never hard, the heady richness checked by fresh oceanic savor. It delivers a grand cru level of complexity and should age with grace.
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Jeb Dunnuck
There are nice savory opening notes of forest, crushed rock, and violet in the 2021 Pinot Noir Nash Mill Vineyard, the producer's last vintage of this particular vineyard-designate. Whole berry-fermented, with only 90 cases made, it offers moderate concentration and acidity within its light frame, giving it a sense of balance and weightiness around a velvety texture and impressive length. Cellar through 2033.
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James Suckling
This producer has a distinctive soft, silky approach to pinot noir and it shows beautifully in this relaxed, broad and complex wine. Savory elements of sauteed mushrooms, bay leaves and redwood bark with macerated cherries, sour cherries, cinnamon and cloves. It has a medium body, relaxed tannins and a lingering finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is bright, lively with aromas of fresh strawberry, watermelon, guava and cumin. The midpalate has flavors of red plum, raspberry, blood-orange zest and turmeric interwoven with white pepper, cinnamon, bittersweet chocolate and a dry finish. Pair with miso black cod.
Anderson Valley, located in Mendocino County just above Sonoma County, is one of California’s coolest AVAs, allowing it a long growing season. Only 15 miles long, the region makes a slice eastward through the mountains, from the frigid Pacific Ocean. Dramatic diurnal temperature variations here preserve grape acidity and thus freshness in the finished wines. These are prime conditions for growing Pinot Noir, and the valley produces many fine versions. Characteristics of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir typically include crisp acidity, cranberry and strawberry notes as well as earthy notes of forest floor and mushroom.
Still Pinot Noir, however, is only part of the story. Pinot Noir, along with Chardonnay, are also grown for Anderson Valley’s exceptional sparkling wines. Produced via the traditional method, these offer a classic toasty note from lees aging, bright, complex fruit notes and a clean, refreshing character.