Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir grapes from west of Santa Rosa on a small rise surrounding Benovia winery.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fragrant nose of cherries, cola, dried flowers and sweet oak. Medium-to full-bodied with sleek tannins and fresh acidity. Velvety and vibrant with a succulent, fruity finish and excellent length.
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Wine Enthusiast
Farmed by the folks at Benovia Winery, this supple, structured wine offers an intensity of dense berry fruit and baking spice, with lingering notes of cola and tea. Rich and rewarding in style, it delivers lengthy lushness and a broad appeal.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Pinot Noir Martaella, matured for 15 months in 80% new oak, opens with some overt aromas of brown sugar and coffee over a core of cranberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is soft and chalky with a concentrated core of earthy fruit and a juicy finish somewhat marked by that oak.
Rating:91?
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.