Winemaker Notes
This cuvée of 12 Pinot Noir clones, from our estate on the rugged Sonoma Coast, exhibits deep ruby and garnet color in the glass. Aromas of raspberry, strawberry, spiced cherry pie and stone fruit mingle with delicate floral notes of rose petal and violet, grounded by hints of forest floor and accented by flinty mineral notes. Bright raspberry characters on the palate are balanced by crisp acidity and delicate tannins. Notes of dark chocolate, tamarind, and powdery earth linger on the finish. This elegant wine will continue to develop complexity in the bottle over the next 10 years.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The largest production cuvée based on a mix of clones, the 2017 Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard was mostly destemmed and spent 15 months in 50-60% new French oak. It reveals a bright ruby-tinged color and offers a feminine style in its notes of raspberries, flowers, rose hips, and spice. It's fine, incredibly elegant, has fine tannins, and just glides over the palate.
-
James Suckling
This has very complex aromas of primary fruit, wild herbs, blue fruit and a spicy, meaty edge. Assertive oak meets rich fruit. The palate is impressively pure, supple and richly flavored with blueberries and cherries. Such concentrated and delicious, darker-fruited pinot here.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Smoky oak lies beneath thick tangy red fruit laced in high-toned acidity that takes on a quality of citrus in this bold and beautiful estate wine. Full bodied, with plenty of power, it displays remarkable grace that contrasts and complements the firm structured tannin.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard is made from the 11 different clones grown on the property. Medium ruby-purple, it features crushed gravel, cranberry, sliced blueberry, rhubarb, moss-covered bark and stewed black tea leaves with hints of classy new oak. Medium-bodied, it has an intense fruit core with earthy accents, a silky, rounded texture and a soft frame of grainy tannins. It has juicy freshness and a long finish. This is a full, lush style with satisfying nuance and layering.
-
Wine Spectator
Very creamy, featuring pastry notes to the inky red plum, sandalwood and dried berry flavors. Mocha latte details show on the rich finish, with medium-grained tannins.
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.