Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Crossbarn 2014 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is another knockout winner. A Sonoma Coast cuvée of just over 11,000 cases, the wine (made from Dijon clones 777 and 115 and the Calera selection) exhibits some smoky barbecue notes, baking spice, loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, medium to full body, and plenty of spice, but the purity of fruit and lusciousness are head-turners, especially at this price point. The two cuvées of Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon are also noteworthy values. 90-92 points
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A wine with excellent purity and style, the red-fruited 2014 CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir stays rich and balanced from start to finish. The wine's strawberry/raspberry nuances pair it beautifully with grilled lamb chops. (Tasted: August 9, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Decanter
Scented and welcoming with a warm baking-spice core, this Pinot is rich and ripe in an almost blowsy style. Slightly stewed fruit on the palate too.
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Wine Spectator
Pleasingly rich and juicy, with blackberry, wild berry and blueberry flavors. Easy now and a good bet to gain. Drink now through 2020. 13,192 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.