Winemaker Notes
Rice-Spivak is one of the most consistent vineyards Cobb works with. Year after year this site yields some of the most high-quality and approachable wines in their portfolio. Still definitely a western Sonoma Coast wine with lots of minerality through its core, Rice-Spivak has a layer of plush fruit that gives it balance and softness on the palate.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Sumptuous aromas of cranberry, cinnamon, clove and sage jump from the glass of this captivating wine. The palate brings flavors of pomegranate, Darjeeling tea, spiced orange peel and a wave of vibrant acidity that bounces all over the place across a long and satisfying finish.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The ruby red 2021 Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard is a little reserved on opening, with a hint more spice, and unfolds to reveal layered notes of fresh cherries, violets, and forest herbs. Medium-bodied, it has more intensity and persistence on the palate, with ripe tannins and hints of darker mineral tones on the long finish. It is a gorgeous wine.
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.