Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Offering flowery and forest floor notes, the 2014 Pinot Noir Little Hill reminds me of a DRC grand cru such as La Tache or Richebourg. Deep ruby/purple, with sweet black fruit as well as some rocky, wet pebble and loamy soil minerality, this wine, coming from the red soils of Little Hill, is just a beauty, a multi-dimensional tour de force to drink over the next 10-15 years.
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James Suckling
Aromas of strawberry and cherry. Salt undertones. Full body, integratd tannins and a fruit. Long and vivid finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Succulent and complex, this wine offers substantial body and lush plushness on the palate, alluring in its layering of cardamom spice and orange, cranberry and cherry. Satisfyingly ripe, with inimitable balance, it shows the elegance possible in spite of the appellation's power.
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Wine Spectator
A deceptively complex, supple, elegant, graceful style that wows with finesse and understated herb, berry, anise and savory underbrush notes.
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.