Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby color. Aromas of cherries, blackberries, roasted meats and earth. In the mouth, the berry fruit and lightly-smoked meat flavors, combined with a velvety, mouthcoating texture and balancing acidity, carry the wine through to a long, supple finish.
Because of its layered flavors, the wine is versatile with a broad spectrum of foods and cooking styles, including roasted chicken or duck, grilled lamb and barbecued ribs.
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.