Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Balletto Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was grown on seven different estate pinot vineyards. The sites range from quiet rolling hills to steep and cold hillside plantings. This diverse combination adds distinct elements from each site and creates a complex wine with structure and grace.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This wine is fully concentrated yet delicately detailed. It’s vinous rather than directly fruity, focused on the umami of velvet tannins and the bold spiciness of coriander and fennel. Dark, savory and yielding, it’s a gracious Russian River pinot noir.
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Wine Enthusiast
This medium-bodied appellation wine is impressive in its combination of crisp red fruit, rhubarb, watermelon and pomegranate flavors alongside a dash of orange citrus. The smooth texture adds to the whole, as does a seasoning of allspice, while the finish is snappy in acidity.
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.