Winemaker Notes
Raspberry, pomegranate, rose and violet seduce the nose. The silky tannins are rich and creamy, yet incredibly focused, as they play beautifully with the juiciness of the wine. Mineral, chalky notes of powdered cacao linger on the finish. The 2019 Mother Rock is a glorious expression of the Dijon 777 and Mount Eden clones.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fragrant nose of ripe red and black fruit with violets and cooking spice coming through as well. Full-bodied with integrated tannins and a strong dark-mineral character. So much depth of flavor with steady intensity on the long finish. Cocoa and espresso at the end. Lovely balance. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Pinot Noir Mother Rock comes from Mt. Eden and 777 clone fruit. It has a medium ruby-purple color and takes time to unfold to form scents of graphite and dashi, with plush, ripe red and blackberry fruit and notes of dried lavender and star anise. The palate is spectacular, satiny in texture and fanning out to dark, spicy flavors with a fresh burst of acidity and a very long, layered finish. It deserves another 2-3 years in bottle.
Rating: 96+ -
Decanter
A seductive Pinot that opens with bright, concentrated aromas of pomegranate and cherry and a suggestion of violets and sea salt. The lightweight, ethereal palate also has structure, with crisp acidity and firm tannins to spare. The grapes were mostly destemmed, given a week’s cold soak, and fermented on native yeasts before ageing for 15 months in cask, two-thirds new. The property is located 8km from the Pacific at high elevation, giving an almost electric energy to the wine, which is a blend of 11 different clones planted in 2002 by David Abreu.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another dead ringer for a Grand Cru Red Burgundy, the translucent ruby 2019 Pinot Noir Mother Rock gives up a brilliant, medium to full-bodied, layered, exotic style revealing lots of creamy red and darker berry fruits, spicy wood, flowers, and black tea-like aromas and flavors. The most plush, sexy, and opulent in the lineup, it has a beautifully expansive mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and a great finish. Give it a year or two and enjoy over the following decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lush in mouthfeel, this wine is velvety from start to finish, with undeniable power and intensity. Dark fruit, fig and cacao nib play around a youthful grip of lengthy tannin and structure that begs to age further in bottle. Enjoy best from 2029–2034.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Ripe and succulent, with delicious black cherry and blackberry coulis notes streaming through, this shows richness but stays racy and light on its feet. Adds in subtle sparkles of anise and red tea on the finish. Drink now through 2029.
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.”
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.