Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Mariah shows a density not typical of the vineyard in other vintages. Dark and brooding on the nose, even the color is more intense. Dark cherry, cola nut, and clove are layered on a medium bodied frame with fine grained tannins. This wine positively sings right out of the bottle, but is sure to continue to develop over the next 5-7 years.
Pair with anything with mushrooms from a chanterelle risotto to a porcini crusted steak.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Quite flavorful and nicely structured, this well-concentrated wine grown at 2,300 feet in elevation is worth keeping to enjoy how it develops over time. Engaging raspberry, red cherry and redwood aromas are followed by mouthfilling, ripe black fruit flavors on a full body braced by moderate, fine-grained tannins.
Cellar Selection
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Essentially a northern extension of the Sonoma Coast AVA but part of Mendocino County, Mendocino Ridge is one of the rare appellations defined by elevation only. The Mendocino Ridge AVA is reserved only for vineyards at or above 1,200 feet between the Anderson Valley and Pacific Ocean.