Winemaker Notes
Brilliant crimson in color, Raeburn Russian River Valley Pinot Noir leads with pleasing aromas 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.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
There’s a certain romance to this wine: It’s lithe, feminine, and juicy, with a sprinkle of white pepper on raspberry as well as a touch of stoniness. Rainier cherry and great acidity merge on the finish line.
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James Suckling
A pretty nose of raspberries, sour cherries, dried flowers, cloves and peppercorns. Medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins and crisp acidity. Juicy and crunchy with a bright core of spiced fruit. Delicious finish.
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The Somm Journal
Striking scents of underbrush, cherry, and sandalwood are both savory and sweet. Up front, primarily floral flavors emerge, including heather and dried roses. Clove-spiced cranberry is tart on the luxuriously textured mouthfeel, highlighted by a flash of high-toned acidity. The finish sees appearances by cocoa and cedar
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Raeburn Pinot Noir is bright, straightforward, and appealing. TASTING NOTES: This wine deftly shows aromas and flavors of vibrant red fruits. Enjoy it with grilled lamb kababs.
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.