Winemaker Notes
Chenoweth Ranch is planted to a mix of Dijon clones that deliver one of the juiciest, richest wines in Patz & Hall's single vineyard lineup. Cherries jubilee, five spice powder, plum and toffee combine into refined layers that are compellingly complex. Freshly tanned leather along with oak spice complexity weave through the finish. As the wine sits in the glass it unfurls, expands, and intensifies. It gains layers and nuance that showcase its great Russian River Valley provenance.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Floral aromas, black fruit flavors and a broad but lively texture make this full-bodied wine impressive and delicious. Rose petals, violets, black cherries and ground cloves all play a role in the flavors, while moderate tannins and good acidity add a palate-cleansing quality. Best from 2025-2032.
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Decanter
It has an interesting herbal character right off the bat, with leather and cassis at the fore. It's a very generous pinot that keeps giving, right to the last drop. It's rich and ripe, with a complexity of fruit aromas and a tannin structure that makes it fabulous to taste.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy raspberry and mulled cherry notes mingle with warm fruitcake and singed red tea accents, plus a hint of potpourri. Offers an open, flattering feel throughout. Drink now through 2028. 398 cases made.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch is a deep red color and shows a layered spice profile of cardamom, fresh leather, cherry cordial, and mossy earth. It’s full and rounded on the palate, with supple, ripe tannins and a silky, mouthcoating, fruity feel. Drink this decadently styled Pinot Noir.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch opens with wafts of nutmeg and brown sugar over a core of red and black cherries, licorice and forest floor. The light-bodied palate is bright and silky with concentrated, expressive fruit and a long, spicy finish.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.