Winemaker Notes
Aromas of pomegranate and sweet tobacco are followed by flavors of berry fruit and plums with subtle hints of exotic spice and toast. On the palate, the wine has balanced acidity and fine tannins that drive a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Rich ruby color, smooth and juicy with toasty oak and a hint of vanilla; juicy and balanced, long and charming.
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Wine Enthusiast
Thick, earthy and red-fruited, this approachable red offers tremendous value and quality. It is solid and well integrated in its hearty texture and fresh notes of pomegranate and plum. Characteristics of nutmeg, vanilla and oak rise 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.