Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blueberries, fresh herbs, slate and cranberries. A very suave package on the palate, which is imbued with tight tannins, bright acidity and a fresh finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale to medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley was aged for nine months in 38% new French oak. It sings of violets, black tea and chocolate-covered cherries with hints of cranberries, redcurrants and underbrush with a waft of wild sage. Medium-bodied, elegant and wonderfully perfumed in the mouth, it has a finely grained texture and a long, nuanced finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy, seductive and soft, this well-made wine offers tones of forest floor, pomegranate and strawberry. It delivers plenty of flavor beneath a delicately crafted body.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir shows excellent depth and range from start to finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine is generous and lasting. Pair its full aromas and flavors of berries, spices, and oak with a well-spiced roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: December 17, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.