Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Smoky clove and rose petal aromas underlie a delicately complex fruitiness in this wine, its cranberry and pomegranate flavors complemented by cardamon, dried herb and savory black tea. Light-bodied and fresh, it offers an indelible silkiness on the palate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Foss Vineyard is scented of red currants, kirsch, rose petals and Provence herbs with a touch of forest floor. Light to medium-bodied, there is a beautiful quiet intensity about this wine, framed by soft, silken tannins and finishing with a refreshing lift.
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.