Winemaker Notes
The pursuit of aromatic, elegant, red-fruited Pinot Noir led Peay Vineyards to the chilly edge of the West Sonoma Coast just 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Due to the cool, moderate weather, they experience quite a long growing season that allows them to pick fruit that is ripe without the encumbrance of too much sugar (and resulting alcohol) and retains the refreshing acidity and top-noted aromatics that make Pinot Noir so engaging.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Vibrant ruby-purple, the 2018 Estate Pinot Noir Ama has deep, inviting aromas of cranberry sauce, rhubarb and blood orange with notions of black tea leaves, forest floor and dried violets. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated with earthy and spicy accents, a fresh and grainy frame and delicately styled 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.