Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Tangy acidity wraps around tightly wound tannin and subtle oak in this expressive wine, generous in cola spice, black raspberry and refreshing acidity. Full bodied, it shows weight and grace in equal measure.
-
James Suckling
A fruity and fine red with strawberry and cherry character, medium body and a fresh finish. A little one dimensional but very pretty
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pinot Noir Estate offers loads of black cherry and strawberry fruit, some underbrush and forest floor notes. It is medium to full-bodied, deep, surprisingly dark in color and quite long. This is outstanding and a real sleeper selection to drink over the next decade or more.
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.