Winemaker Notes
Black cherry and raspberry blend with other dark fruit aromas. Full body with powerful tannins. Chewy and intense. Dry and minerally. Energetic and punchy.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
From a warmer site (it’s one of the first to be harvested) in the Russian River Valley, the 2016 Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch (98% destemmed and 50% new French oak) offers lots of black plum, black cherry, and underbrush aromatics and hits the palate with a pleasure-bent, ripe, sexy profile on the palate. It has that rare mix of opulence and elegance, with good acidity as well as tannins, and is going to offer loads of pleasure over the coming 7-8 years.
-
James Suckling
The aromas to this wine are impressive with so much dark fruit and depth. Lots of black-cherry and raspberry character. Full body with very powerful tannins. Chewy and intense. Dry and minerally. Energetic and punchy. One for the cellar or drink now.
-
Wine Spectator
Subtle aromas of plum and spice firm midpalate, revealing a tannic profile along with a strong presence of savory herb and underbrush notes. Best from 2019 through 2024.
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.