Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with scarlet highlights. Aromatics of cocoa, blackberry jam, cranberry, boysenberry, honeysuckle, white pepper, and citrus rind. Smooth with flavors of ripe plum, black currant jam, and strawberry filling well balanced with roasted almonds and a touch of vanilla. Bright acidity and soft tannins lead to a long, satisfying finish.
Pair with Italian sausage with spaghetti squash and marinara sauce, prime rib, or slow roasted lamb with grilled vegetables.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Broad, well-developed strokes of black currant, dark chocolate, and tree bark unleash layers of character. This deeply shadowed Pinot Noir morphs from beast to beauty, with tobacco assisted by good acidity and salty mineral tones.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.