Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: One can always count on Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs as some of the purest expression of this grape variety in the North Coast growing regions of California. The 2015 Head High Pinot Noir is on point in this regard and is a wine that sure to please the food lover in the household. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows excellent vitality on the palate with an explosion of tart red fruit and dried leaves. Pair its brightness with rosemary and garlic accented leg of lamb. Tasted: June 5, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.