Winemaker Notes
Black tea, forest floor, porcini mushrooms, sweet tobacco and a darker mineral profile dominate the aromatics. There is a lot of fruit on the palate, owing to the warmth of year, as it jumps immediately into black cherry and plums. A smoky meatiness comes up to give balance along with white flowers and peppery herbs. This is a bigger style Pinot then where it landed the last few vintages, but it is a great refection of the estate in a warm vintage, held in check by mouthwatering acidity and a rugged texture.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is distinctive, offering zesty bramble and chaparral hints that bounce around a core of steeped mulberry and blackberry fruit. Shows good energy through the toasted finish, with a late minerally twang adding nice contrast. Drink now through 2030.
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.