Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of the blue fruits and dried flowers on the nose. Oyster shell too. Medium to full body, linear and vibrant. Energetic. Clean and intense finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is straight up classic. Black raspberries, spice, caramelized cherries and forest floor characteristics all flow to a rich, balanced, gorgeously textured wine that has perfectly integrated fruit, tannin and alcohol. It has fine, yet present tannin and a great finish.
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Wine Spectator
Notably elegant and rich, with a deceptively deep and persistent mix of raspberry and wild berry flavors, shaded by gravelly earth and savory notes that lose a bit of focus on the finish.
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.