Winemaker Notes
Aromas of red and dark cherry, raspberry and strawberry are joined by subtle touches of vanilla and toasty oak. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, a soft round mouthfeel, excellent acid balance and notes of earthiness on a long, lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
An overall well-balanced riper expression of Pinot Noir with notes of red cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, chocolate, anise, wooded forest and damp forest floor.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.