Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Ferrington is one of Anderson Valley's best vineyards, and Willimas Selyem has done an exceptional job with this impressive young '09. It's bone dry and fairly tannic, and the cherry and raspberry fruit flavors are balanced with earthy notes of cola, grilled mushrooms and dusty Indian spices. But it needs time. Better after 2015.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
This red is deliciously pure and complex, with ripe, rich black cherry and raspberry fruit that's spicy and detailed. Deftly balanced. The finish features a minerally edge and a creamy oak overlay, which leaves this mouthwatering. Drink now through 2020. 699 cases made.
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.”
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.