Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Two different clones: the Dijon 115 and the Pommard, are the backbone of the 143-case 2015 Pinot Noir Cuvee Number One. Its deep ruby color is followed by fabulous notes of violets, blackberries, herbs and forest floor aromas and flavors. Concentrated, vibrant and thrillingly pure, it’s a sensational Pinot that shows how good this vintage is for Pinot Noir in Sonoma. While it’s the least expensive in the lineup, it’s unquestionably one of the best values. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
From the Lakeview Vineyard in Green Valley, this deeply concentrated bottling shows blackberry, crushed graphite, asphalt-laced gravel, dried violets and rose petals on the richly layered nose. The palate is soft and approachable, yet firm enough to ensure a long life, carrying flavors of elderberry, elderflower and a meaty richness. Drink 2018–2035.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.