Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Discipline will be demanded before all the attributes of the 1999 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard (600 cases) can be enjoyed. This concentrated, dark ruby-colored effort possesses copious quantities of black fruits, a muscular, meaty mid-palate, high acidity, moderate but noticeable tannin, and a long, concentrated finish. It is still primal and youthful. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and enjoy it over the following decade.
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Wine Spectator
Intense, with firm acidity propping up the citrusy wild berry and black cherry flavors. Softens a bit on the finish, but given its vibrancy, it's best to cellar short-term.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.