Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose of this wine jumps from the glass, with aromas of crushed raspberry, violets, orange peel and cinnamon. Plenty of rich tannin on the palate is balanced by bright cherry, cola and raspberry-lemon acidity that lifts everything.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard was matured for 16 months in 65% new French oak. The nose is bursting with cranberry, raspberry, tobacco, rosewater and mossy bark aromas. Medium-bodied, it floods the mouth with crunchy, fragrant flavors. It’s framed by silky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long, perfumed finish.
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Wine Spectator
This enticing red bursts with mulberry and boysenberry pate de fruit notes wrapped in thin strips of licorice and backed by a mix of apple wood, hibiscus and black tea. Drink now through 2033. 656 cases made.
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.