Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Another yield-affected wine from the 2011 vintage, I found this to be the most delicate in the tasting. It has an enthralling nose of potting soil, balsa wood and sage, with flavours of Rainier cherry, strawberry and watermelon rind on the palate, with a subtle dried-fruit quality on the finish. It seems the extended time in barrel has helped to enhance the subtleties concealed in this wine. 28 months in French oak barrels, 30% new. Drinking Window 2019 - 2025
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Pinot Noir Emmaline Ann Vineyard opens with tar and scorched earth aromas that flesh out to dried red berries and citrus peel notes. The medium-bodied palate maintains a core of dark, broody fruit in a firm frame, and it finishes long and detailed. It's in a great spot for drinking right now.
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.