Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The magnificent 2000 Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard continues to develop even more complexity. Truly great stuff, this medium to full-bodied 2000 exhibits scents of rose petals intertwined with charcuterie, spring flowers, blue and black fruits, and hints of raspberries, cola, and mint oil. This profound, extremely nuanced, powerful, exuberant Pinot Noir boasts terrific definition and personality.
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Wine Spectator
Wonderful purity of flavor and excellent concentration. Spades of ripe, rich plum, black cherry, boysenberry and wild berry fruit are accented by rose petal aromas and a nice touch of fresh earth. Shows heat and very ripe tannins, but what impresses most is the depth and clarity of the fruit.
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.