Winemaker Notes
Sixteen small, independent family-owned vineyard sites come together in this gorgeous display of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. This blend displays classic coastal traits of fresh red fruits, cherry, mulled strawberry, cranberry, and cassis. Cinnamon, clove, anise, and coriander accompanies subtle notes of forest floor and pink flowers. The palate is full and finishes with good purity supported by refined tannins and fresh acidity. This 2021 offering is a lovely expression capturing the elegance and purity that are hallmarks of Pinot Noir at its best.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Delightful, extra juicy red and black fruits give graciously and generously with a mouth-filling texture and soft, silky tannins. The coolness of the Sonoma Coast takes the salty sea air and places it squarely on the grapes to give this wine a lovely saline finish. The great structural envelope will protect this wine for the future. It will last and last.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and lively, offering a delightful stream of raspberry and mulberry coulis flecked with a mouthwatering savory edge through the pure, pinpoint finish. Textbook vintage and AVA profile. Drink now through 2031.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast has gregarious aromas of red and black cherries, mint, forest floor and allspice. The medium-bodied palate features generous, spicy fruit structured by grainy tannins and juicy acidity, and it has an easygoing finish.
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.