Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
As with the Chardonnay, the appellation 2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast sees slightly less new oak than the Russian River Valley appellation cuvée and was brought up in just 5-10% new oak. Spiced cherries, blackberries, Asian spices, toasted bread, forest floor, and incense notes all emerge from the glass, and it's beautifully textured, medium-bodied, has ripe tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. It's another terrific wine from this team that will drink nicely for 7-8 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast opens with tones of tar and earth that give way to blackberries, tobacco, woodsmoke and licorice. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy with earth-laced fruits, and it finishes long. 450 cases produced.
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.