Winemaker Notes
A blend of Senses single vineyards. Senses Russian River Pinot Noir is an overall, bright, concentrated, and age-worthy wine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A spicy and flinty pinot noir with aromas of ripe strawberries, dark chocolate and a hint of black pepper. Medium- to full-bodied with round tannins and a savory finish. Lots of flavor and intensity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another appellation wine from the Senses team, the 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley has a purple/magenta hue and opens to notes of sweet dark blackberries, cedar, cardamom, and mocha. Supple and full-bodied, it’s elegant and rounded on the palate, with sweet tannins and good ripeness and length.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley has intense aromas of blackberry and bramble, damp earth, fir trees, allspice and Earl Grey tea leaves. The palate is medium-bodied and light on its feet with restrained yet layered flavors. It’s framed by silky tannins and bright acidity and has a long, spicy finish.
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.