Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Nearly perfect, the extraordinary 2005 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth is sourced from a windy, rocky site with a southeast exposure, and is a compelling effort made from the Calera clone. It exhibits DRC-like forest floor, violet, raspberry, and sweet black cherry notes intermixed with underbrush and spice. It possesses admirable purity, fabulous richness, a full-bodied, layered, multidimensional mouthfeel, and a finish that lasts nearly 50 seconds. This unreal Pinot should drink beautifully for 10-12 years.
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.