Winemaker Notes
Brooding and darker in profile compared to the Russian River Valley bottling, the Sonoma Coast is a completely different animal. Plum, dried herbs and savory undertones complete the darker aromatic profile. Full bodied at the entry, the palate becomes saturated with flavors of plum and brambly fruits. The mid-palate weight is compelling, and the firmness of the tannins seem to melt to the extract of the wine. The palate is then refreshed with enough acidity that carries the wine to the finish with a lingering hint of a sous bois character.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Redolent of sweet cinnamon, clove and crushed black cherries, this Pinot packs an aromatic wallop. The palate is fresh and energetic, with an acidity that feels less linear and more chaotic in the best possible way, bouncing around the tannic grip and careening into dark-cherry flavors.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Ripe ruby red-colored, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is lifted and bright in the glass with cranberry, currants, blood orange zest, and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, it’s approachable and elegant, with refined tannins and a clean, lasting finish.
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Wine Spectator
This sports delicious mulberry and boysenberry preserve flavors, offering dashes of fig, anise and licorice. Showy on the fruit, with tension on the apple wood–accented finish for balance.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast has layered scents of red cherries, blackberries, Angostura bitters and bergamot. The medium-bodied palate is supple, silky and inviting with bright acidity and a long finish laced with earth and spice.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.