Winemaker Notes
Immediately aromas of blackberry and sweet cherry come through with toasty oak notes and fresh rose petals. The palate is gifted with rich cherry, delicate acid, and oak creating a balance of caramel notes. The tannins linger, while oak and fruit play well together, with cocoa nibs and blood orange rounding out the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Thorn Ridge Vineyard comes from Pommard and 115 clone vines planted in 1996. Matured for 20 months in 33% new French oak, it has deep scents of blood orange, cranberry, mushrooms, woodsmoke and amaro, continually unfurling as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate has concentrated, complex flavors, a silky texture, irresistible juiciness and a long, spicy 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.