Winemaker Notes
Black cherry, blackberry and cigar box notes on the attack, with the intensity of the fruit notes lasting through a long, detailed finish. Impeccably balanced tannin, oak and acidity frame the beautiful flavors of this powerful yet balanced Pinot Noir.
Vegan
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Very much keyed on the incisive, cherry-like fruit specific to good Pinot Noir, Siduri’s Russian River bottling is a very well-balanced working that is at once fairly outgoing and possesses a sense of fruity depth and reserve that bodes well for further development. Despite being easy to taste now, it shows the kind of energy and tactile length to encourage optimistic keeping, and, while we admittedly would not refuse a glass or two with a juicy pork chop tonight, we see good reasons aplenty to lay it away and exercise a few years of patience.
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Jeb Dunnuck
More lightly colored, the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley comes from a mix of sites in the Russian River and was 80% destemmed and brought up in 25% new French oak. Spiced strawberries, potpourri, candied orange, and lots of spice notes emerge from the glass of this elegant, medium-bodied, nicely textured and fruit-loaded effort. It's ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River opens with dark cherries and warm blackberries with accents of potpourri, dried citrus peel and dusty earth. The palate is light to medium-bodied with good concentration of spicy fruits, a soft frame and juicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This appellation wine impresses in its delivery of supple herbal, earthy and high-toned flavor. Dipped in rhubarb, pomegranate and strawberry, it has the richness of cola and a spicy hit of cinnamon beneath its dense layers of cherry pie
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.