Winemaker Notes
A pleasant mix of earthy notes with black cherry, tea and red fruit highlight the aromas in this vintage. The palate shows dark black cherry with vanilla, stewed fruit, and a hint of white pepper The wine has a rich middle palate and a hint of orange peel on the long finish. A classic wine for the Sonoma Coast.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Toasty, smoky aromas and good, ripe fruit flavors find a good symmetry in this full-bodied and lightly tannic wine. It captures the classic varietal character of Pinot in its black tea and cedar nuances along with red and black cherries and hints of dried herbs.
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.