Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The Doc's Ranch is east-facing 1150-1200ft of elevation, and according to Cobb, it is pummeled with fog. The slope is southeast facing, and Ross uses 50% whole cluster to make this wine—aromas of red flowers and mint, white pepper and wild green strawberries. The palate shows sweet red berries, lightly spiced with notes of white pepper and an elegantly textured mouthfeel. This Pinot dances across the palate with zippy, savoury white pepper and a fresh note of evergreen sap and lithe pine needles lingering on through the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The ruby red 2021 Pinot Noir Doc's Ranch Vineyard boasts a fruitier and more floral nose, showing off notes of ripe strawberries, raspberries, rose petals, and herbes de Provence. The palate offers a haunting, delicate feel, with refined, ripe tannins, a mineral texture, and a graceful and weightless feel. It’s going to take time to open but will drink well over the next 12-15 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Comforting aromas of blackberry, clove and cinnamon dominate the nose of this soulful and earthy Pinot. The palate shows a wealth of plush tannin and flavors of cranberry, sage, orange peel and black tea that linger and fluctuate over a long finish. A few years in the cellar will soften this beautifully.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and fresh, offering bright notes of red currant and damson plum that show tension and energy, with a hint of minerality. Framed by a light stem accent through the finish, where minimal toast allows for a racy, unadorned feel. Drink now through 2031. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
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.