Winemaker Notes
Black cherry, cranberry , cola and pomegranate aromas. Long and full on the palate with bright plum and
rhubarb notes and a refreshingly zesty finish.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Entirely proper and correct from first to last and a wine whose cherry and cream-soda richness makes it attractive at the outset, this medium-full-bodied effort is round at entry and follows the family model by firming up in the late going. It carries itself long into the aftertaste, and, with good balance and more accessibility than its winery siblings, it is a wine for the next few years while waiting for those worthies to mature.
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.