Wine & Spirits - April 2017 - 102

YEAR'S BEST US PINOT NOIR
as a nearby 20-year-old section of Sanford
& Benedict. It's brisk and vibrant, with an
inviting cashmere-like softness to its raspberry and rose-petal tones, ready to please
both Burgundy nerds and less obsessive wine
drinkers alike at holiday dinners. (W&S 8/16;
916 cases) § Chanin Wine Co., Lompoc, CA
448142

91 | Daniel

$60

2014 Russian River Valley Laguna
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This feels compact,
its dark fruit both gripping and tart; air
brings silkiness to the tannins and reveals
the floral and bay leaf scents underneath its
ripe, clean berry flavor. It has the richness of
Russian River Valley fruit allied to appetizing,
mouthwatering structure, avoiding bombast
or overt alcohol. Decant this or keep it in the
cellar for a few years. (75 cases) § Daniel Wines,
Sebastapol, CA
447479

91 | Dutton-Goldfield

$62

2014 Fort Ross-Seaview Dutton Ranch
McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ With its
thin ridgetop soils and somewhat protected
southern exposure, McDougall often makes a
particularly ripe, powerful expression of farcoast pinot noir, and Dan Goldfield's version
can sometimes be impacted in its youth. This
vintage, though, is already showy and lush. It
leads with heady, spicy aromas of rose petal
and citrus rind, that high-toned character
bringing lift to a texture that's supple and
juicy without feeling heavy, tinged with a rich
blueberry flavor. It's a perfect coastal pinot
noir for a large dinner party, one that few
guests will find either too cool or too warm.
(475 cases) § Dutton-Goldfield, Sebastopol, CA

91 | MacPhail

$85

2014 Sonoma Coast Mardikian Estate
Pinot Noir ^ "Provoking," said La Folie's Rob
Renteria of this wine, noting that its whitepeppercorn aroma reminded him of Rhône
reds as much as pinot noir. It comes from a
coastal site that James MacPhail planted in
2008. The wine feels plump and sweet at first,
almost like grenache, but finishes with resolutely coastal savor. Its wild aromas of smoke,
damp undergrowth and-yes-peppercorn
would match grilled quail. (W&S 12/16; 341
cases) § MacPhail Family Wines, Sebastopol, CA
447807

91 | Phillips Hill

$48

91 | Spell

$48

2014 Mendocino Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Tasted blind, this felt like
a coastal wine, not an inland Mendocino
pinot noir. In fact, Oppenlander is just five
miles outside of Anderson Valley; its ownrooted vines grow at 600 feet of elevation in
Comptche's Surprise Valley. This captures
the neighborhood's coastal cool in fruit
that's clean and red, with the airy sweetness
of an heirloom strawberry. The wine's spicy
oak tannins are prominent, but a year of age
should bring them into silky alignment. (375
cases) § Phillips Hill Estates, Philo, CA
445916
2014 Russian River Valley Umino Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Grown on sandy soil in the cool
hills near Sebastopol, this leads with a dark,
seductive red cherry flavor that's classic
Russian River. Behind that bold ripeness,
there's a tactile mineral savor-grape-skin
tannins and a roasted edge of French oak
spice. The wine is firm and poised to become
more complex with a few more years in
bottle. (W&S 12/16; 128 cases) § Spell Estate,
Santa Rosa, CA

448148

91 | Waits-Mast

447905

91 | LaRue

$70

2014 Sonoma Coast Emmaline Ann Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This comes from a small
vineyard planted on a forested hillside near
Sebastopol, and it feels like a coastal wine,
with a green edge to its high-toned red fruit
that suggests sumac and rhubarb. Maybe
because the fruit is so high toned, the oak
feels a bit prominent at first, gripping and
cedar scented, but the vineyard's refreshing
herb and flower aromas win out in the end.
(70 cases) § LaRue Wines, Sebastopol, CA
446371
102

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2017

$58

2014 Anderson Valley Deer Meadows
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Brian Mast and Jennifer Waits first sourced fruit from this hillside vineyard in 2009; planted at 1,600 feet of
elevation on a southeast-facing slope above
Boonville, it often makes their most energetic
pinot noir. This feels like a hillside wine, with
a firm, sandstone grip that brings to mind
Sonoma Coast wines from further south. It's
a bit chewy, but clean and high toned, with
a hint of warmth from alcohol spicing up its
aromas of orange zest and rose petals. Give
it a few years in the cellar to allow its tannins

to integrate. (142 cases) § Waits-Mast Family
Cellars, San Francisco, CA
443777

91 | Westwood Family

$54

2014 Sonoma Valley Clone 37 Annadel
Gap Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ This bottling
makes use of a pinot noir clone that
originated at Mount Eden in the Santa Cruz
Mountains. Grown on an estate in northern
Sonoma Valley, it's a potent pinot noir that
would never be confused for Burgundy,
but is compelling in a different way, its
tannins carrying dark, spicy flavors of anise
and peppercorn through the warmth of its
alcohol, the impression powerful but woodsy
and clean, needing a few years of bottle
age. (W&S 6/16; 98 cases) § Westwood Wine
Company, Sonoma, CA

447827

90 | Baileyana

$35

90 | Big Basin Vineyards

$55

90 | DeLoach

$40

2014 Edna Valley La Entrada Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ "Pretty, lean and lifted" is how
Rachael Ryan of SF's High Treason described
this wine. The tone of the fruit suggests fresh
strawberries and a hint of strawberry leaf. It
doesn't have the structure to age very long,
but is fragrant and delicious right now. (340
cases) § Baileyana Winery, San Luis Obispo, CA
442567
2013 Santa Cruz Mountains Alfaro Family
Vineyard Pinot Noir ^ Fleshy and plump, this
pinot noir from the coastal side of the Santa
Cruz Mountains finds clarity in cool aromas
of redwood bark and anise and mouthwatering acidity. It makes a powerful yet foresty
impression; its untamed verve would match
pork or even venison. (W&S 6/16; 160 cases) §
Big Basin Vyds., Boulder Creek, CA
445740
2013 Russian River Valley OFS Pinot Noir ^
Brian Maloney makes this mostly from an
estate vineyard on Olivet Road, along with
fruit from four other vineyards, including two
cool sites in the Sebastopol Hills. This has an
appetizing warmth to its wild strawberry flavor, a ripeness that feels earned rather than
pushed. It's sleek and lively, content to be
delicious rather than complex. (W&S 10/16;
1,000 cases) § DeLoach Vyds., Santa Rosa, CA
445547

http://www.baileyana.com/ http://www.baileyana.com/wines/laentrada-pinot.php https://www.laruewines.com/store/detail?item=2014-larue-emmaline-ann-vineyard-pinot-noir http://www.waitsmast.com/

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