Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Pinot Noir Clos de Ciel was cropped at a rather high 3+ tons of fruit per acre and totaled 670 cases because of such a large crop. It offers plenty of blue and red fruits intermixed with notes of spring flowers, full body, and a layered mouthfeel. This should turn out to be a beauty, but like most of the 2012s I tasted with Luc and Nick Morlet, it is so primary and grapy, it is hard to see the nuances that are expressed in the other vintages. It should drink well for 10+ years.
Range: 93-95+ -
Wine Spectator
Marked by firm, gripping tannins and a core of savory herb, cola-laced dried berry, black tea and truffle flavors that fan out on the finish, this picks up a mocha note while remaining dry and savory. 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.