Hartford Court Velvet Sisters Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
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Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Sourced from a single block in the estate’s Maggie Hawk Vineyard in Anderson Valley, the 2016 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters spent 16 months in 37% new French oak and, as with all the wines here, was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright cherry, red apple, spice box, and some mulberry notes as well as some marine salinity all flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, multi-dimensional effort that has ripe tannin and integrated acidity. Give bottles a year and it should be a gem of a wine to enjoy through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters rocks up with boisterous notions of crushed black raspberries, blueberries, red plums and black cherries plus hints of cloves, cinnamon stick and chocolate box. Full-bodied, plushy textured and decadently fruited in the mouth, it delivers mouth-filling black fruits and spices, finishing long.
Other Vintages
2019-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Wine
Enthusiast
Making delicious wines of high personality is directly related to the difficult locations of the Hartford family's vineyard sources, the limited production of their bottlings and the varietals they use. "Character through adversity" is an expression that the Hartford family believes to apply to both people and grapevines, and they feel that surviving adversity builds character, and personality, in both.
The Hartford Family makes wines under two marks, one of which is Hartford Court. Hartford Court bottlings are small lots of high-personality single vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express the distinctive qualities inherent in each vineyard's terroir - the interplay of soil, slope, exposure and climate. The fruit is sourced from the Russian River Valley, Green Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations.
Anderson Valley, located in Mendocino County just above Sonoma County, is one of California’s coolest AVAs, allowing it a long growing season. Only 15 miles long, the region makes a slice eastward through the mountains, from the frigid Pacific Ocean. Dramatic diurnal temperature variations here preserve grape acidity and thus freshness in the finished wines. These are prime conditions for growing Pinot Noir, and the valley produces many fine versions. Characteristics of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir typically include crisp acidity, cranberry and strawberry notes as well as earthy notes of forest floor and mushroom.
Still Pinot Noir, however, is only part of the story. Pinot Noir, along with Chardonnay, are also grown for Anderson Valley’s exceptional sparkling wines. Produced via the traditional method, these offer a classic toasty note from lees aging, bright, complex fruit notes and a clean, refreshing character.