Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of smoke, spice and dried meats with plenty of ripe fruit. Full body, with firm tannins and bright acidity. Pretty citrus undertones. Needs some bottle age to come together. Complex and interesting.
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Wine Spectator
Potent in flavor, showing the ripeness of the grapes and the extractedness of the winemaking. Fills the mouth with cherries, raspberries and cola, with plenty of toasty oak. The richness is fortunately balanced with acidity and some bracing tannins. Give it a few years in the cellar. Cellar Selection.
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.