Winemaker Notes
The 2019 vintage shines with an ultra-bright garnet color and aromas of fragrant strawberry, muddled raspberries, and a kiss of baking spice. Dark cherry and rhubarb are balanced with pomegranate seeds a touch of floral notes on the palate, with a subtle salinity that hearkens to its sourcing along the Sonoma Coast. Seamlessly integrated tannins and fresh acidity give the wine a distinct freshness throughout
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Pinot Noir has a medium ruby-purple color and lush scents of dried blueberries and cranberries, with nuances of blood orange, forest floor and violet. The medium-bodied palate has grainy tannins and rounded acidity to support its layered fruits, and it finishes long and flavorful. Best After 2022
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James Suckling
Aromas of black cherries, star anise and rose water. Medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins and bright acidity. Lovely, clear red and black-fruit flavor with a background note of peppermint.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Readers looking for a classic Pinot Noir that won’t break the bank yet brings loads of pleasure should latch onto a few bottles of the 2019 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Revealing a translucent medium ruby color as well as textbook Pinot Noir notes of ripe cherry and mulberry fruits interwoven with sappy herbs, sous bois, and scorched earth, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness and plenty of mid-palate depth as well as a racy, vibrant spine of acidity. It’s a value-priced Pinot Noir, but I think it will benefit from another 6-12 months of bottle age, and I have no doubt it will keep for another 5-7 years. It’s incredibly well done.
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Wine Spectator
Exuberantly juicy, with concentrated raspberry and red plum flavors that are supported by fresh acidity. The sleek finish has minerally and flinty components that are focused and fresh-tasting. Drink now through 2024.
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.