Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
As to the reds, the 2016 Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard was mostly destemmed (there’s 30% stems) and spent 16 months in 40% new barrels. It’s another layered, rich, yet impeccably balanced wine and offers lots of red and black fruits, savory herbs, and earthy, forest floor-like nuances. Drink it over the coming decade or more. Rating: 95+
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James Suckling
Dense and layered, offering beautiful dark-fruit and walnut character with some black olives and dried strawberries. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Excellent energy and tightness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a vineyard planted at 900 to 1,400 feet in elevation, using 30% whole cluster and aged in 40% new Burgundian oak, the medium to deep ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard gives up notes of redcurrants, cranberries and pomegranate with touches of bay leaves, tilled soil and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully perfumed with a soft, plush texture and refreshing lift to the finish.
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.