Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir River Block has an earthy opening of underbrush, garrigue and moss-covered bark with a hint of Provence herbs with a cove of Bing cherries, black raspberries and violets. The palate has a very fine, elegant and medium body with tons of perfumed fruit backed up by fine tannins and great freshness, finishing with some minerals coming through. Give it 1-2 years and drink it over the next 15 years.
Rating: 95+ -
James Suckling
Aromas of strawberry and cherry. Salt undertones. Full body, integratd tannins and a fruit. Long and vivid finish. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Offering pure, clean aromas of wild berry, raspberry and floral, this delivers elegance, finesse, richness and restraint, allowing the flavors to establish comfortable presence amid the acidity and fine-grained tannins. The finish keeps repeating the core berry themes, with a kiss of oak. Drink now through 2026.
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.