Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The only red I was able to taste from Chateau Boswell, the 2016 Pinot Noir Absolutely Eloise Sun Chase Vineyard is 100% Clone 777 Pinot Noir that was mostly destemmed (roughly 7% stems) and brought up in 70% new French oak. This site lies at 1400 feet above sea level on Sonoma Mountain, and consists of rocky clay and marine soils. This ripe, opulent, sexy beauty of a Pinot Noir boasts terrific notes of black cherries, black raspberries, spice, forest floor, and earth. With medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, sexy texture, and no hard edges, drink this pleasure-bent effort over the coming 7-8 years.
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.