Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Fort Ross Vineyard Pinot Noir is a stunning blend of the numerous blocks and clones planted at our estate vineyard, showcasing how each can seamlessly complement the next to reveal the true potential of this site as a whole. Beneath the deep ruby hue of this wine lie expressive aromas of red cherry, strawberry compote, and perfumed sandalwood that burst forth as they meet the inside of the glass. On the palate, this Pinot Noir takes a darker turn with flavors of spiced plum, fresh fig, blackberry preserve, and savory undertones of black tea and fresh earth leading the way. Offering remarkable structure and crisp acidity in its youth, this wine is poised for an exciting evolution over time—an experience you won’t want to miss.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of dark cherries, Asian spices, blueberries and cedar. The medium-bodied palate has finely integrated tannins and balanced acidity. Very lifted and vibrant with minerals and an underlying tension. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Vivacious aromas of cranberry, plum skin and violets burst from the glass on the nose of this coastal Pinot, while the palate gives tons of savory richness. Flavors of cranberry, blackberry, shiitake, cinnamon and Darjeeling vibrate along a very aromatic finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A dark red color with a light unfiltered appearance, the 2022 Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard is dark and spicy with generous aromas of black cherries, sweet forest earth, and preserved violets. Medium-bodied but brooding in profile, the 2022 Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard offers ripe tannins and a weightless feel. A well-styled ripe wine, it’s going to improve and age with ease over the next 5-7 years.
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.