Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir is classically styled. Smooth texture and good acidity balance the solid core of fruit. Perfumed, yet earthy aromas of red and black cherry, vanilla, and hint of oak fill the glass. This is a medium-bodied wine with loads of finesse and flavors of fresh cherry, blueberry, plum, barrel spice, a hint of vanilla and slight floral notes. This is a bottle of Pinot Noir with the flavor profile and terroir expression of classic Burgundy at a bottle price you can enjoy everyday.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
While Alexander Valley is not known for Pinot Noir, this one is an outlier. Deep, black cherries, cloves and cinnamon waft up from the glass. Rich, ripe, almost roasted flavors bathe the palate in black fruits, cardamom and woodsy notes underlain by moderate tannins and a soothing texture.
Editors' Choice -
James Suckling
This is aromatic with notes of crushed wild berries, plum skins, blue flowers and toasted spices. Medium-bodied, crunchy and fresh with polished, very fine tannins. Bright and savory in the finish.
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.”
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.