Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The profound 2002 Pinot Noir Marcassin Estate always reminds me of a top-notch Clos de la Roche from a domaine such as Ponsot. Notes of fresh mushrooms, forest floor, plums, black cherries, raspberries, and hints of white chocolate and smoke jump form the glass of this full-bodied wine.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and lively, with blackberry, wild berry and light toasty oak aromas folded in with scents of earthy forest floor. Intense on the palate without being heavy, finishing with a pretty burst of ripe boysenberry. Has exquisite balance and a lingering finish.
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.