Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Showing its elegant side in 2017, the nose is filled with dark cherries, raspberries, and the signature Sonoma Coast note of bay laurel. The mid-palate is polished and svelte while giving way to a bright finish of orange rind and Meyer lemon peels. There is a consistently ‘sappy’ quality to the wines from this site, and I very much like the understated framing of this years iteration. Drinking Window 2020 - 2037
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Revisiting the 2017 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard Old Firs Block, it's blossomed into a gorgeous wine, with a pale ruby color and open perfume of raspberries, strawberries, orange peel and tea leaf with loads of floral accents. The medium-bodied palate explodes with detailed, perfumed fruits in a grainy, fresh frame, and it finishes long and nuanced.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Made from older vines within the famous estate site, this resplendent wine offers fresh strawberry, blueberry and perfumed rose—bursts that are underscored by linear, focused acidity. Tasting of the woods, with a crunch to the texture, it finishes in a refreshing tease of orange peel. ?
-
James Suckling
This has a complex and fragrant nose with orange zest, red cherries and freshly sliced strawberries on offer. The palate has a punchy feel with tannins that are served in a sturdy, well-proportioned style. Plenty of potential here. Drink or hold.
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.