Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is outstanding. Its medium ruby color is followed by aromas of loamy soil intermixed with sweet black cherries, raspberries and plums. This medium-bodied, elegant, flavorful Pinot is already endearing and should continue to drink well for 2-3 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich berry, cherry, cola and raspberry fruit flavors mark this young wine. It's dry and stylishly elegant, and shows a certain aloof complexity. Almost rustic in scoury acidity and tannings, but it could develop bottle finesse in another 2-3 years.
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.