Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Earl Stephens Vineyard offers a touch more complexity in its ripe red and black fruits, sagebrush, tobacco, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. These all flow to a straight-up gorgeous, opulent Pinot Noir with a silky mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. This is pure Russian River goodness, and while I don't think it's going to make old bones, it will evolve nicely for a solid 4-6 years.
Silky and smooth, with lovely notes of ripe cherry and good balance; elegant and long
The 2018 Pinot Noir Earl Stephens Vineyard offers pure cranberries, blackberries and rhubarb layered with pipe tobacco, bitter citrus peel, laurel, earth and an amaro-like undercurrent. The palate is nuanced and expressive with bright, bitters character, a grainy frame and great freshness, finishing long. This is great! Rating: 93+
Pretty aromas of wild strawberries, bark, licorice, fresh herbs and lemon zest. It’s medium- to full-bodied with silky, round tannins. Lovely, spiced flavors on the velvety finish. Drink or hold.
Domaine Della’s mission is to craft intense and adventurous wines, partnering with the very best growers, to create an exceptional wine for special moments and timeless memories. All wines that have been released since our inaugural Fall Release in 2014on mom’s birthday, August17, have received scores of 90-96+ points from the wine media. We sell 85% of our wines through the direct-to-consumer channel and have a waitlist,10% for three-tier at this stage of evolution, and we hold back 5% as library wine for new customer acquisition or to participate in meaningful ways to give back.
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.