Pip Pinot Noir 2014
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Wilfred
Wong
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Pairs well with a great burger.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A most satisfying effort, the red to black-fruited 2014 Pip Pinot Noir does a top-notch job in representing the fine Sonoma Coast AVA. The wine is loaded with fruit and its creamy finish pairs it well with a spit-roasted leg of lamb. (Tasted: September 26, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
Ellie and Chris also produce Dunstan Wines from the Durell Vineyard. Ellie Phipps Price purchased the Durell Vineyard in 1998 from Ed Durell. Durell, a San Francisco food broker, acquired the land in 1977 with the intent of turning it into a cattle ranch, but began planting grapes instead. After hiring vineyard manager Steve Hill, the pair focused exclusively on growing premium wine grapes, which they began selling to Sonoma County wineries in 1982.
Today there are over 20 top-tier wineries producing Durell Vineyard designate wines including Chasseur, Chateau St. Jean, Kistler, and Auteur. In 2005, Ellie replanted the 8 1/2 acre Ranch House Block at Durell. This block is dedicated exclusively to Dunstan Wines, producing only a few hundred cases of premium Durell Vineyard wine each year.
Chris began working with Durell Vineyard in 2006 and partnered with Ellie in the launch of Dunstan Wines in 2008, with a focus on direct-to-consumer and national sales. After completing the Winemaker's certificate course at UC Davis, he has worked closely with winemaker Kenneth Juhasz to craft exceptional wines for Dunstan.
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.