Winemaker Notes
The 2009 is super rich without being too heavy. Great texture and mouth feel. Dare I say the "iron fist in the velvet glove" ideal that I think all Pinot Producers secretly hope for. Super seductive and "brainy" at the same time. This wine will be great right out of the gate, but will have the potential to age well for at least 6-8 years, and maybe more!
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Weaving together a complex array of earthy berry, spice and floral scents, this is full-bodied and deceptively firm and muscular. The core of ripe plum and blackberry flavors builds, sustaining depth and momentum. Drink now through 2018. 600 cases made.
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.