Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the most profound Pinot Noirs I tasted in California was the 2001 Pinot Noir Finn. An extraordinary perfume of fresh mushrooms interwoven with smoke, raspberry and strawberry liqueur in addition to gamy and floral notes results in remarkably Burgundian, complex aromatic fireworks. Dense, rich, and medium to full-bodied, with profound complexity, loads of sweet fruit, ripe tannin, and nicely integrated acidity as well as oak.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and complex, with firm, ripe, concentrated cherry, fresh earth, cedar and rose petal scents, picking up a touch of blackberry on the finish, where the tannins are chewy, ending with a dash of cola. Best from 2005 through 2012.
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.