Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is the only appellation wine in the MacPhail lineup, and it is the second vintage of this wine. Pale to medium ruby, the nose of the 2017 Pinot Noir The Flyer explodes with bright aromas of fresh cranberries, Bing cherries, rhubarb and pomegranate with nuances of dried leaves, blood orange peel, bergamot and dried rose petals. It's medium-bodied and silky with energetic red berries flavors, a softly grainy frame and great freshness lifting the long, spiced finish. 800 cases were made.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Tones of forest floor, rhubarb and cardamom lead this light-bodied, elegant red that’s made from several sites then aged 11 months in French oak, 30% of it new. Delicate tannins and mild oak tones are lifted by buoyant edges of bright acidity.
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.