Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Firm and focused, with a wonderful purity of flavor, offering a complex, focused mix of black cherry, raspberry, spice and anise. Full-bodied and concentrated. Long and persistent on the finish. Drink now through 2014. 3,069 cases made
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Ripe and rich, very nicely concentrated, focused on black cherry fruit with touches of dried violets, cinnamon-like spice and quiet hints of dark chocolate, this very delicious wine feels just a bit on the blocky, slightly tough side at present but has the depth and beauty to insure that it gets better and better over time. For near-term use, we would opt to partner it with sturdy or savory meats rather than more delicate choices.
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.