Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberry, walnut and dried mushroom follow through to a medium body, juicy fruit and a savory finish. Lovely fruit, tannin and acid balance.
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Wine & Spirits
This comes from five blocks at the Wohler Vineyard in Forestville, blending fruit from Goldridge soils at the top of the site with grapes grown in lower patches of clay. It’s destemmed, fermented without added yeast and presented without fining or filtration, the wine substantial enough that it keeps the new oak (50 percent) as a structuring element underneath the flavor, rather than on top of it. The flavors are open and airy, with the crunch of red apple and pomegranate seeds, the wine’s tension accented by scents of violets and fennel.
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.