Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
A rich, plush style, dark in color, with dark berry flavors and touches of licorice, jazzy oak, vanilla, cedar and dill. Ends with a long finish. Drink now.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A beautiful wine to sip by the pool or on the deck with light snacks, the 2015 Böen Pinot Noir appears to be the perfect casual drinking wine. Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner—cognizant of the i-generation wine and what they are looking for in their wines—has produced a well-balanced, yet relaxed style of wine that be enjoyed with or without food. Drinks well now. (Tasted: September 21, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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.