Winemaker Notes
Enjoy grilled and roasted meats, prosciutto and mushrooms, or cured black olives with this wine. For bolder options try beef stew, pasta Bolognese and pan-seared pork belly.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley comes from 11 vineyards across the appellation. It aged 10 months in 35% new French oak. Medium ruby, it has a savory nose of smoked cranberries, crushed red and black cherries, pipe tobacco, forest floor and hints of orange peel and potpourri. Light to medium-bodied, it's silky and intense with a great interplay of ripe fruits, spices and earth notions. It has a frame of grainy tannins and juicy freshness to enliven the long finish. Well done!
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a handful of sites in the Russian River and brought up in 34% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley offers textbook Russian River notes of mulled red and black fruits, spice box, cola, black tea, and autumn leaves. Rounded, medium-bodied, and supple on the palate, with beautiful fruit, drink it over the coming 4-5 years or so.
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.