91 Points - Wine Spectator
Double Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle Intl. Wine Competition
What happens when you hire "Rockstar" winemaker Greg LaFollette from the renowned Flowers Winery? You get ready for awesome wine. The first year, the San Francisco Chronicle's International Wine Competition awarded Double Gold, one of only two Pinots from the entire West Coast to receive that award. Then came more, and more...
Harvest Notes
Throughout the Spring and Summer attention is paid each grape vine to coax out the best possible fruit that the vine can offer up. At harvest, grapes are picked in the vineyards by hand at night or in the early morning so that fruit arrives at the winery cool and in pristine condition. The fruit is again inspected when it arrives at the winery. The berries are hand sorted and then processed into small lots.
When primary fermentation is nearly complete, the wines begin malolactic fermentation. The wines are transferred into small French oak barrels for continued aging for up to 20 months. This commitment to the smallest details continues today in the winery, where the idea, and the ideal, of the word "handcrafted" is translated to our hands-on approach to fermentation, punch-downs and racking.
Production is small, so that we can maintain that intimate connection with the wines. We are physically in the vineyards any time we need to be, which has a significant impact on viticulture and picking decisions, and ultimately, on quality.
Tasting Notes
"Offers hues of purple and rose-red around the edges of the glass. On the nose - a sensory cacophony of forest floor, bacon fat, sun-ripened berries and a wild, visceral, almost primal aromatic attitude that is... sexy. The complexity continues on the palate, with perfectly balanced, juicy acidity matching the broad, contained tannin structure. Mid-palate expands, filling the mouth with red berries framed by exotic and savory spices, tapering to a long, harmonious finish echoing the bacon fat seen in the nose and a lingering complexity of earth and berry and forest floor requiring yet another sip, and another.
Pure Hedonist Balance."
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Aging: 100% French Oak, 20% New
pH: 3.52
TA: 5.58
Alcohol: 14.35%
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
91 Points
Shimmering ruby-purple hue. The nose is a walk through a damp Sonoma forest—mossy bark and wild earth—brightened by high-toned notes of cranberry sauce and blood orange. On the palate, it's generously long in the mouth, with good concentration. It's a masterclass in tension: intense, cherry and red current fruit meets dark spice and fine, sandy tannins.
96 Point Vintage
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
97 Points
Rich dark fruit flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of baking spices, licorice, coffee, and chocolate that interlace seamlessly with complexity, creating a wine that is both structured and delightfully supple, achieving an ideal balance of tension and grace. Artfully composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with 17% Cabernet Franc, resulting in harmonious depth and freshness.
92 Points
A powerful expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose, it's enticing and fragrant, bursting with fresh blueberries, blackberry tart, cedar, black olives, and hints of spicebox. Its palate provides big, round chewy tannins, sweet ripe black cherries, blackberry cordial, Bourbon-soaked maraschino cherries, maple roasted walnuts, and a touch of vanilla.
