Winemaker Notes
Planted in 2002 to cool climate Pinot Noir clones, Terra de Promissio continues to impress. Always a fragrant wine, the 2016 offering exudes aromas of dark berries and flowers, with a hint of kirsch and Lambert cherry. Cheerful on the nose, the fruitiness is matched with bright tones of mandarin orange and cedar. In addition, tobacco and soil-inflected notes add underlying depth. Broad and silky in the mouth, this wine delivers balanced tannin, acid, and fruit, and seems almost spherical on the tongue. Flavors of plum and citrus are backed by a tea-like tannin profile, and a delicate mineral lift. Within this wine is a fascinating interplay of earth and fruit, which should allow for a variety of food pairings.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From one of the producer's coolest sourced sites, this sings in aromas of rose petal, earthy stone and tobacco. The palate brings tangy cranberry and raspberry flavors, with lingering tones of orange peel and clove. The tannins are substantial yet tamed.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio Vineyard opens with very alluring notes of red roses, cinnamon, fragrant earth and dried leaves with a core of raspberry coulis, kirsch and lavender. The palate is light to medium-bodied, very fine, delicate and provocative, with silken tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. 523 cases produced.
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.