Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A pronounced floral and earthy nose carries to the medium-bodied
palate in this vineyard-designated wine. Lifted notes of wild strawberry, pomegranate and cardamom combine with ease against darker notions
of forest floor and toasted oak, remaining bright through a long finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard offers aromas of charcuterie, cinnamon stick and tree bark with strawberry and floral perfume supporting the broody, spicy nuances. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with sweet berry fruits and bitters accents, soft, super juicy, quietly powerful but featherweight and finishing very long.
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.