Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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PinotReport
Medium-deep ruby color; tight, earthy cherry aromas; rich, ripe cherry flavors with spice and cola notes; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Subtle and spicy Pinot that needs some air to open up.
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Wine Enthusiast
This young wine is finding its way, tight and grippy still, with a strong sense of oak and tannin. Leathery and savory, with a suggestion of the rustic, it offers a crispness of black cherry and plum on the 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.