Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Pinot Noir Marcassin Estate has also shut down considerably since last year. Even though it was decanted, it just began to reveal its ultimate potential. Notes of forest floor, plums, black cherries and raspberries intermixed with notions of blueberries and smoked meats are found in this dark plum/ruby/purple-tinged wine. Clos de la Roche-like, it exhibits sweet tannin and impressive depth, but as mentioned above, it has tightened up considerably over the last year and is probably best forgotten for another 1-2 years. It should provide immense pleasure over the following 10-15 years. Rating 96+.
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Wine Spectator
Graceful, elegant and stylish, offering a pleasant touch of maturity, with a complex array of anise, cherry, raspberry, red licorice and fresh porcini flavors leading to a medium body. Shows the benefits of cellaring.
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.