Winemaker Notes
Dehlinger's Altamont Pinot noir celebrates the hilltop sections of the vineyard, where red, clay-rich soil dominates. The Altamont Pinot noir showcases darker fruit flavors and enticing baking-spice aromas, and the inclusion of a small amount of whole clusters in the fermentation lends greater structure and enhanced aging potential in this sought-after wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and compact, with a ball of wound-up cherry and red licorice notes forming the core, while red tea and dried savory hints add sparkle through the finish. Shows a late sous-bois echo that's pretty.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.