Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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PinotReport
Medium-deep ruby color; complex red cherry aromas with forest floor and tea aromas; complex, red cherry flavors with some tea, forest floor and oak notes; silky texture; great structure and balance; long finish. Complex, earthy Pinot that is delicious now but has great structure and will improve with age.
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Wine Spectator
Pure and supple, with a fleshy middle to the core of cherry, plum and light raspberry, turning to touches of tea, earth and savory herb. Gains depth and complexity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lastly, the 2014 Sangiacomo Vineyard (a very well-known site) comes from clones 115 and 777. This is the highest-octane of the Sojourn Pinot Noirs, finishing at 14.5%. This is a beautiful Pinot, with black cherry and blackberry fruit as well as some strawberries in its copious display of fruit. The structure is there as well, and the wine floral, earthy, spicy and pure. A classic Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, this medium to full-bodied beauty should drink well for 5-7 years.
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.