Winemaker Notes
The third release of MacPhail's only Estate vineyard realizes the dream of having eight stellar Pinot Clones in the wine, the first time this has happened. Mardikian is a thinking person's wine, contemplative if you will, rich and opulent and not prone to showing off. This is the true Sonoma Coast, just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, and the maritime influences show. The salty air descends each day on the vineyard, leaving a distinctive and easily recognizable signature. Aromas of Asian Five Spice leave an exotic impression, followed by dark raspberry and plum and tasty down under style black licorice. The vineyard is only in its sixth leaf, so each new vintage offering is truly something special, an evolving tale that is wonderful to explore and experience.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Lovely pure cherry, raspberry and redcurrant aromas on the nose, with a touch of violets too. Earthy and savoury in the mouth, with notes of mushroom alongside ripe, silky, structured cherry fruit. Rich, intense, long and really very good!
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.