Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Sweetwater Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with scents of raspberry and strawberry preserves, stone, lavender and garrigue plus touches of blood orange, black tea and earth. Light to medium-bodied, it's very intense and pure with spice and bitters-laced fruits, a grainy frame and a long, lifted, perfumed finish. Lovely!
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Jeb Dunnuck
As to the two reds, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sweetwater has a beautiful red fruited character as well as loads of crushed flowers, spice, and smoked underbrush aromas and flavors. It's polished, medium to full-bodied, has fine tannins, beautiful purity, and a great finish. This cuvée was all destemmed and spent 15 months in French oak. 459 cases.
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.