Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The last of the appellation releases, the 2014 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was brought up in 55% new French oak, which is slightly more than the 2013. Deep, rich and earthy, with notes of bouquet garni, smoked earth, licorice and dark fruits, it has full-bodied richness, a big mid-palate and is packed with gorgeous amounts of fruit. It's a big, rich wine from this cool climate appellation, yet I suspect it will show more classic Sonoma Coast characteristics with a year or two in bottle. It's a beautiful wine.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Deep, dense and brimming with dark fruit and liberally appointed with very rich oak, this generous, close-to-plush look at the grape offers a broad and compelling range of aromas and flavors that range from pulpy black cherries to créme brûlée, cola and root beer. It is full and somewhat supple with neatly placed tannins providing a nice bit of grip now as well as the framework for age, and, given the wine's obvious depth and careful structure, it is reasonable to expect it will evolve and gain in grace for a good half-decade or more.
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Wine Spectator
Offers direct, rich and deep red and dark berry flavors that are spicy, pleasantly tannic and chewy, ending with a pure, rich burst of fruit that tails off into drying tannins. Tasted twice with consistent notes.
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.