Winemaker Notes
This rich Pinot Noir opens with red fruit aromas accented by currants and orange zest. Raspberry and cherry flavors continue through to the palate and are complemented by notes of dark chocolate and blackberry. Showcasing bright acidity and a medium-bodied weight, the finish is long and lingering.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of black tea and cardamom greet the nose, with layers of blueberry and blackberry in the background. Flavors of cranberry, cherry and orange provide freshness on the full-bodied palate and accentuate the underlying acidity.
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Wine & Spirits
Red-cherry brightness gives this a simple clarity, spicy and warm, with a hint of mushroom savor adding depth. It’s open and ready to serve with fried chicken.
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Wine Spectator
Big and rich-tasting, with plum tart and wild berry flavors that feature lively savory notes. Mineral and cardamom details emerge on the finely textured finish. Drink now through 2024.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Chateau Buena Vista Pinot Noir is bright, jazzy, and delicious. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows excellent richness while staying elegant and refined. Enjoy its fresh red fruit aromas and flavors with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: May 25, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.