Winemaker Notes
A wine that exemplifies the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir style with black cherry, pomegranate, rhubarb and cranberry notes with hints of leather. Flavors of black tea and cinnamon add complexity through the palate, where a dense, velvety texture is balanced nicely with crisp fruit-driven freshness.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe strawberries, spice and light, toasted oak. Some rose-petal and leaf character. Medium-to full-bodied, tight and chewy with a linear and compact palate. Very pretty.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged 11 months in 40% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Reserve (already bottled) is medium to deep ruby-purple colored, with redcurrants, cranberry jelly, pomegranate and black raspberries notes with touches of cardamom and menthol plus a waft of forest floor. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a firm, tight-knit frame of fine-grained tannins, finishing long and refreshing.
Rating: 93+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
The Pinot Noirs (as well as the Chardonnay) are made by Jesse Fox. The 2017 Pinot Noir Reserve offers a ruby color as well as a rich bouquet of black raspberries, mulled cherries, forest floor, spice, and chocolate. It's a rich, rounded, broad effort that has loads of fruit and character. This cuvée comes from multiple sites in the Russian River Valley and spent 11 months in 40% new French oak. There are just 350 cases produced.
Over thirty years in the making, Amici Cellars is a blend of the old and the new. Preserving its legacy and producing wines of exceptional character is the unwavering commitment of proprietors John Harris and Bob Shepard, who attribute success in large part to the age-old adage “nothing replaces hard work,” but also their intuition and ability to capture the most significant opportunity in a decisive moment.
The turning point was 2009, when after more than 15 years of making wine as a passion project with modest distribution, the two friends fully committed to taking their adventure and turning it into a prestigious Napa Valley winemaking estate. The United States was facing the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s, costly Cabernets no longer flying off shelves, but John and Bob have always trusted in their intuition and a core belief - bottle beautiful, high quality wines that are accessible to enjoy every day and for age-worthy collections.
They have decidedly chosen a talented team, seasoned winemaker Tony Biagi, a Napa Valley veteran with more than 25-years-experience, and associate winemaker Dante West, a rising star whose energy matches his true-to-varietal wines. Together they bring decades of relationships with outstanding growers in the field that, combined with their craftsmanship, creates the best possible capsule of each vineyard site, a combination of the soil, climate and people who farm it.
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.