Winemaker Notes
This is Relic Wine Cellars' final release from the Putnam Vineyard in Annapolis in the deep Sonoma Coast, but what a way to go out! 2016 provided near-perfect conditions to ripen the fruit, and the vines produced the best wine yet from this coastal vineyard. Aromas of cherry pit, blackberry flowers, sassafras, lavender, sage, white pepper and exotic spices fill the glass. The palate is dense with flavor and balanced by lush, soft tannins, yet is taut enough to carry the intense finish to great lengths.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged 11 months in 44% new French oak using 25% whole cluster fermentation, the 2016 Pinot Noir Putnam Vineyard is medium ruby-purple colored with a lovely mix of red and black cherries on the nose with nuances of lavender, Provence herbs, forest floor, truffles and spearmint. The palate is medium-bodied with great vibrancy and energy, framed by chewy tannins and fantastic freshness and finishing long and minerally.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The last vintage for this cuvée, the 2016 Pinot Noir Putnam Vineyard comes from a cooler site yet has terrific purity in its blue fruits, mint, violets, spring flowers, and red berries. It's supple, seamless, elegant and forward on the palate, with the hallmark purity of fruit that makes 2016 so special in Sonoma.
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.