Winemaker Notes
Intense raspberry, wild strawberry, forest floor and earthy notes (graphite), very rich and complex with a leathery lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2020 Pinot Noir En Famille opens with loads of crushed red berry fruit, spice, blood orange and cedar. Bright acids and expressive floral notes add gorgeous lift to this racy, sumptuous Pinot. The 2020 could use a few years in bottle to shed some of its incisive tannin.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Pinot Noir En Famille comes from a southeastern-facing parcel and was fermented entirely in puncheons. There's a slight beetroot character on the nose and root beer notes that extend to earthy spice and minty hints of wintergreen. It's medium to full-bodied, plump and supple, even a bit soft, finishing with velvety tannins.
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.