Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similar but a touch more ruby in color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard Old Firs Block is also layered and spicy, with aromas of pine needles, fresh cherries, sweet herbs, and pretty anise. Medium-bodied, it’s long on the palate, with a sanguine feel, mouthwatering brightness, and a clean finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard Old Firs Block comes from a single block of vines planted in 1989 on marine sedimentary soils at 1,150 feet in altitude. Made with 40% whole clusters, it's bursting with pomegranate, red cherry and botanical undertones, plus slowly unfurling nuances of cinnamon, mixed tea leaves and lavender. The medium-bodied palate is powerful, its concentrated fruit supported by firm, chalky tannins and focused, driving acidity. It's very expressive and detailed!
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Spectator
Fresh and open in feel, offering lightly mulled raspberry and mulberry fruit infused with red tea, sandalwood and savory accents through the pretty, perfumed finish. Drink now through 2031. 275 cases made.
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.