Winemaker Notes
Intense red and black cherry and raspberry coulis flavors with earthy notes (graphite), rich and concentrated with a lingering finish. Will age gracefully for decades.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The top Pinot Noir cuvée, as well as the smallest at 450 cases, is the 2012 Pinot Noir Joli Coeur (meaning Beautiful Heart). The most multidimensional of these three Pinots, it exhibits a deep ruby/plum/purple color as well as a sweet bouquet of raspberries, black cherries and damp forest floor notes, a full-bodied, lush, round, generously endowed style, and beautiful purity, texture and length. It comes across as a grand cru from the Northern Côte de Nuits. It should drink well for a decade or more.
Rating: 92(+)
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.