Winemaker Notes
Bright aromas of black raspberry and bing cherry meld with savory cured meats, spiced amber and a delicate floral touch of violets. Exuberant black cherry, raspberry and red fruits greet the palate followed by warm spice and earth. Refined, supple tannins and the Fort Ross Vineyard signature minerality are revealed through the layered, mouthwatering finish. With its lively acidity and extraordinary balance this classic coastal Pinot Noir will elegantly evolve.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2016 Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard has a wonderful bitters-scented nose of potpourri, tangerine peel and tree bark over a core of crunchy cranberry, red cherry and red berries. Light to medium-bodied with a silky texture, it has concentrated red fruits with tons of amaro accents, fine, grainy tannins and a long, energetic finish.
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Wine Spectator
Finely textured and concentrated flavors of raspberry, plum and red currant are vibrant and well-focused in this svelte and direct style. Mineral and spice notes linger on the fresh, crunchy finish, with peppery hints. Drink now through 2023.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.