Winemaker Notes
Brilliant crimson in color, Raeburn Russian River Valley Pinot Noir leads with a pleasing aroma of baking spice and vanilla. The palate is marked with stunning fruit flavors of lush wild blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry with undertones of roasted hazelnut. The finish is graceful and sophisticated.
The Pinot Noir grapes are hand-picked during the cool early morning hours to preserve their fresh, delicate flavors. Once the grapes arrive at the winery, they are carefully destemmed and cold soaked for several days to enhance color and flavor. Fermentation takes place in small, open top containers with twice daily punch downs to intensify color and structure. After a gentle pressing, the wine is racked several times and transferred into French oak barrels, 25% new, for 11 months of aging.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Spiced red cherries and hints of freshly baked pastry lead to a palate that has a ripe, languid array of fine tannins and plush red-plum flavors.
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Tasting Panel
The 2016 vintage was a testament to good phenolic development: The wine's round, but its dry "coffee" tannins and concentrated, bright fruit flavors are impressive. With scents of mocha cranberry and baking spices, the palate opens to savory herbs and dried hibiscus. The blue-and-black berried fruit becomes juicier as the wine continues to develop.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: One thing that I can always be assured of is the boldness of the Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs. The 2016 Raeburn comes right at you with plenty of beautifully ripened fruit. TASTING NOTES: This wine is rich and intense. Its aromas and flavors of black fruits and vanilla invites a pairing with roast game. (Tasted: November 17, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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.