Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the darkest colored Pinot Noirs from MacPhail Family is the 2012 Pinot Noir Sundawg Ridge, which saw 43% new French oak and spent 11 months in wood. Its clonal material is Pommard, Calera and Dijon clone 115. Another stunning Pinot from MacPhail, it exhibits a deep ruby color, a big, sweet kiss of red and blackcurrants, black cherries, earth, spice and background bouquet garni and roasted meats. Chewy, fleshy, succulent and opulent...
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.