Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Winemaker Raphael Brisbois, began his winemaking career in Alsace, France. His curiosity about wine has led him around the world. In 1997, he began to make BearBoat for Remy Cointreau USA. One of his guiding principles is to create a wine that can stand up to all types of food. His many years of experience and gut instinct make each and every bottle of BearBoat truly exceptional.
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.