Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Connoisseurs' Guide
One of the surprises of our retrospective tasting, this wine now shows as being well-aged, polished and full of energy for another five years or so in the cellar. We would be more than happy to be drinking it up right now in its current form and do not expect much change in the near term. Still, it shows that Pinot can age a bit more than the conventional wisdom about everyday versions of the grape might lead one to believe. It is worth noting that the wine was not ever overly expressive, and it has earned its bones not on depth but on the beauty of the variety. It was one of four recommended Benovia Pinot Noirs tasted in October, 2009 and recommended. 87 points at first review.
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.