Winemaker Notes
Brilliant, deep ruby red in color, the 2022 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir opens with aromas of pomegranate, cranberry, and crisp red apple skin, perfumed with hints of delicate florals and forest floor. Harmonious layers of plum, raspberry, and Morello cherry lift the well-focused palate, while bright acidity and fine-grained tannins add tension to the long, refreshing drink.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of dried strawberry, umami, seaweed, and bark with some savory undertones. Some flowers. Medium body. Creamy and flavorful. Lovely deliciousness at the end. It’s made from different parts of Paul Hobbs’ top vineyards - George Menini Estate, Cleary Estate, Goldrock Estate, and Catherine Lindsay Estate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir, made entirely with estate fruit, calls you into the glass with perfumed cranberry and pomegranate, accents of sweet baking spices, autumn leaves and generous floral tones. The light-bodied palate offers a deep core of spicy fruit supported by gently chalky tannins and mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, bright finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is youthful, ripe magenta/ruby hue and is inviting as it opens to pretty notes of pie spice, cherry liqueur, and crushed roses. It is clean and inviting on the palate, with lovely elegance, a refined feel, and great freshness through the finish. It’s pretty darn tasty now but can be enjoyed over the next 5-6 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Plush, ripe cherry and strawberry aromas waft from the glass of this Pinot, while flavors of raspberry coulis, cola and orange skin dance on the palate before a zippy and grippy finish takes over. Drink this with grilled salmon and veggies.
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.