Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
So much oyster shell and blue berry aromas. Plus mushroom. Full body, spicy and minerally. Lots of white pepper undertones and intensity. Electric. Long and lively. Beautiful fruit.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pinot Noir SWK Vineyard has striking aromas of aniseed, pipe tobacco, sage, pepper and Earl Grey tea leaves, offering new details with each return to the glass. The light-bodied palate is bursting with wild berry flavors and savory undertones. It’s structured by velvety tannins, and a crescendo of fresh acidity lures you back for another sip on the long, nuanced finish.
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.