Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Winemaker Ross Cobb’s parents planted their Coastlands Vineyard in 1989, helping to establish pinot noir in the cool coastal hills west of the Russian River Valley. This wine comes from a small nursery block that Ross’s mother, Diane, planted that first year: over 20 different own-rooted pinot noir selections. (One of the more successful clones, Jackson Clone 16, was later propagated more extensively in the block.) Maybe it’s the genetic diversity that makes the wine feel so complex, or the maturity of the vines themselves, or the way the ungrafted roots translate the sandy loam of the western Sonoma Coast. Maybe, too, it’s Cobb’s judicious application of whole cluster fermentation, 15 percent in 2011. In any case, the scent of this wine alone is striking, ranging from fraises des bois to earthbound aromas that suggest roots and bark and forest mushrooms—like picking berries at the edge of a redwood grove. Striking a perfect balance between high-toned aromatics and the structural focus of its mineral tannins, this is a transparent evocation of the California coast, an energetic beauty to drink now, and well worth cellaring for another decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale garnet, the 2010 Pinot Noir Diane Cobb Coastlands Vineyard has an incredible perfume of violets, tea leaves, tangerine and loads of dried, sweet red berry fruits with alluring earth and amaro accents. The light-bodied palate is so elegant, with chocolaty tannins, seamless freshness and delicate, pure sweet berry fruits, finishing long, uplifted and ethereal. Wow! What a gorgeous, mature Sonoma Cost Pinot Noir.
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.