Winemaker Notes
A delightful ruby color in the glass, this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir offers aromas of sweet red fruits with hints of vanilla. Flavors of cherry, raspberry, plum and clove mingle upon the palate, displaying balanced structure, medium body and moderate tannins.
Made to be immediately enjoyable, this wine is a perfect accompaniment to wood-fired pizza or mushroom risotto.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy and stemmy, this affordable wine is both fresh and robust. It shows good balance in its black cherry, tea and forest floor flavors, which make it appealing to many Pinot lovers. Editors’ Choice.
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Wine Spectator
Concentrated accents of slate and graphite flank the dried cherry and currant flavors in this red. The creamy finish offers sandalwood and spice notes. Drink now through 2022.
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.