Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir has leagues of depth and aromatic notes of forest floor, cassis, and cinnamon. On the palate, notes of plum, cranberry compote, rosemary, oolong tea and a zesty acidity draw out into a clean perfumed finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a single site on the Sonoma Coast, not far from the town of Occidental, the 2019 Pinot Noir Irmgard reveals a medium ruby color (this cuvée tends to be on the lighter-hued side) as well as a beautiful perfume of wild strawberries, sappy herbs, white pepper, and exotic flowers. Already complex, it's medium-bodied and has a beautiful texture, present tannins, and outstanding length. This is another complex, balanced, complete wine from this team offering loads of character. It should benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for at least another decade, probably longer.
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.