Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Vibrantly abuzz in flavors of tangerine, cherry and sage, this estate red is lengthy and grippy in youthful tannin's. Cardamom spiciness complements the brightness of the fruit while building to a crisp,
enduring finish of oyster shell and stone
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard comes from vines planted in 2002. It has a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of crushed blackberries, red cherries, cinnamon, dried tobacco leaves and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied with dark fruits, a firmer, grainy frame and a mineral streak, finishing long and still a tad youthfully closed.
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.