Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Thick red fruit becomes approachable on the palate in this stylish, focused and full-bodied wine from the coast. Big powerful waves of tannin and pomegranate, cherry and cola are met by nuanced aspects of spice and earth, the finish explosive.
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Wine Spectator
Well-structured, offering a lively mix of dried red fruit, spice and steeped tea flavors. Notes of hot stone and iron show on the focused finish. Drink now through 2022.
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.