Winemaker Notes
Sourced from a multitude of sites scattered throughout the appellation, this expressive wine brings together unique and individual flavor profiles to provide a balanced and 360 degree perspective on the Russian River Valley. Red fruits, red and purple flowers, hints of English Breakfast tea wrap up with the woodsy, earthy side of Pinot Noir. Highlights of fennel and fresh herbs add an additional layer of interest and intrigue to the aromatics. Firmer in texture and tannin, the palate is saturated with red fruits and citrus flavors. The interplay of the acidity and tannin helps to stretch the palate out to give length. Allow this wine to develop a few years to reach its full potential.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A youthful ruby with a magenta tone, the 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley has lovely aromas of preserved cherries, fresh pine, black tea leaf, and incense. The palate retains lovely freshness and mouthwatering citrus, with fine tannins and a clean brightness on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is scented of red and black cherries and berries with notes of Earl Grey tea leaves and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate boasts powerful fruit and youthful new oak spice. It has a silky texture, rounded acidity and a flavorful finish.
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Wine Spectator
An enticing version, displaying a ripe beam of mulberry and plum notes lined with a hibiscus edge. Shows a light gloss of toast, but the finish is fresh and breezy overall. Drink now through 2027. 3,408 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.