Winemaker Notes
Made from the very best section, the heart, of the excellent ‘Coteaux Nobles’ vineyard located on the Sonoma Coast, this unique wine is also named after the typical seductive character of the Pinot Noir grape. Handcrafted by using classical Burgundian winemaking techniques, it is the ‘Charming Character’ or ‘Joli Cœur.’
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 Joli Coeur Pinot Noir comes from the “sweet spot” within the Coteaux Nobles vineyard in Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, planted to an eastern exposure and shallower topsoil. A barrel sample, the 2019 Pinot Noir Joli Coeur sports a medium ruby-purple color and bombastic notes of Black Forest cake, pomegranate and Morello cherries plus suggestions of fragrant earth, red roses, stewed rhubarb and dark chocolate with a touch of Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the opulently fruited palate bursts with red berry preserves and earthy layers, supported by velvety tannins and a lively backbone, finishing very long and fragrant.
Range: 97-99 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Also brilliant, the 2019 Pinot Noir Joli Coeur is wonderfully complex, with loads of black raspberry, strawberry, spice box, scorched earth, bouquet garni, and sappy flower-like aromas and flavors. I always find this cuvée to be the most seamless and balanced in the lineup, and the 2019 is no exception, offering medium to full-bodied richness, flawless integration of its tannins, acidity, and fruit, a great mid-palate, and a finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It needs air to show at its best today and will be even better with a year or two of bottle age and keep through 2031.
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.