Winemaker Notes
Bright, focused-fruit aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries and red cherries capped with notes of spicy oak The palate is ripe, rich and velvety, balanced by bright acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A mellow array of rich, red-rose and cherry aromas with spicy and sappy, foresty complexity. The palate has a smoothly composed and layered feel with impressively fine and assertive tannins. Blue-fruit flavors abound. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lightly carbonic and fresh on entry, this is a textured, varietal wine that develops richness and power in the glass. Orange peel, rhubarb and a sprinkling of baking spice gives it nuanced flavor and complexity without undue fuss.
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.