Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Pinot Noir La Neblina (10% stems are used) comes from the Goldridge soils of the Sebastopol Bench area. Primarily Dijon clones blended with a small amount of the Mt. Eden clone, this is an earthy, pomegranate, plum and Asian soy-scented Pinot with an elegant, crisp, zesty style in keeping with the vintage character. Drink now-2020. Range: 88-90.
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Wine & Spirits
Drawn mostly from the dry-farmed Hallberg Ranch in the rolling hills of Green Valley, this translates the vineyard's sandy Goldridge soil into a brisk, high-toned pinot noir. You can almost feel the light texture of the soil in the wine's lean, spicy tannins. The fruit is a bit primary, with a simple sour cherry flavor, though a pretty aroma of violets dances around the edges.
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.