Wine & Spirits - April 2021 - 76

Year's Best US Pinot Noirs
NAPA VALLEY

with the constant refreshing sweep of the
coastal winds. A lasting blue-sky wine. -J.G.
(W&S 10/20; 250 cases) §
524208

94 | Drew

522843

93 | Hendry

$60

2018 Mendocino Ridge Estate Field Selections Pinot Noir ^ Sometimes I think Jason
Drew's most fascinating pinot noirs taste like
the syrah he grows in the far coastal ridges
west of the Anderson Valley. And yet, other
than their crush of white and green peppercorn, those syrahs don't taste like most other
wines grown from the variety in California.
What they do taste like is the air in a redwood forest, which is what this pinot brings
to mind as well. By farming a wide range of
heritage selections at his vineyard and apple
orchard near Elk, Drew captures the redwood
ridges in a bottle. The wine buzzes on the
tongue with the energy of woodland blackberries , those high tones grounded in the
herbal, earthy detail of a forest in spring.
Grill a whole fish over an open fire, stuffed
with rosemary sprigs. §-J.G.524210

522828

92 | Ferrari-Carano Winery

$52

92 | Ferrari-Carano

$52

$62

2019 Mendocino Ridge Sky High Ranch
Pinot Noir ^ Ferrari-Carano farms 22 acres at
Sky High Ranch; at 1,500 feet in elevation,
the vines grow on a ridgetop northwest of
Booneville, six miles from the Pacific. This is
the second vintage in a row that the wine has
impressed us for its silken texture and freshness, the 2019 a firm, cool evocation of the
coastal forests above Anderson Valley. New
oak weaves into the dark fruit and earthy tannins, still a bit prominent in the end. Give
this a year or two to absorb that oak influence
then serve it with hot-smoked salmon. -J.G. §
519950

2018 Mendocino Ridge Perli Vineyard
Pinot Noir ^ Alan Baker sources fruit for this
wine from the high ridges overlooking the
Mendocino coast, less than 10 miles from the
ocean at a site that rises to 2,200 feet. Well
above the fog line, the fruit ripened to vinous
depths, layers of red cherries and cherry bark,
bee pollen and the slightly numbing spice of
peppercorn. Its bright woodland spice would
be delicious with country pâté. (171 cases) §
524209

2018 Mendocino Ridge Sky High Ranch
Pinot Noir ^ This is a big, deliciously rich
pinot, its saturation transformed into an
elegant red-fruit glow by the cool beach-rose
notes it gained while ripening at more than
1,500 feet in elevation. Those rose scents last,
along with peppercorn and rosemary. Pour
it with quail roasted with fresh herbs. -J.G.
(W&S 6/20; 700 cases) §
524206

$70

$32

93 | Cartograph

92 | Drew

2018 Mendocino Ridge Estate Mid-Slope
Pinot Noir ^ From three of the lowest yielding
blocks at Jason and Molly Drew's estate, just
over three miles from the Pacific and 1,200
feet above it, this is a selection of fruit from
Calera, Swan and Mt. Eden clones. Spontaneously fermented with some whole clusters,
the wine is powered by bracing cherry skin
flavors and smoky spice. It's a crunchy pinot,
draped in dark flavor without any excess
weight. The licorice-scented tannins should
sustain it for years in the cellar. §

90 | Drew

2019 Mendocino Ridge Mid-Elevation
Pinot Noir ^ Jason Drew blends fruit from
the Valenti Ranch with pinot from his own
estate, the elevations ranging between 1,200
and 1,450 feet, both within six miles of the
Pacific. The combination is tense and light
even as it offers a lot of delicate strawberry
and red currant flavor. The cotton-soft tannins quiet the crunchy edge of the fruit,
ready for salmon sashimi.-J.G.

MENDOCINO COUNTY AVA
519995

90 | Lioco

$25

2018 Mendocino County Pinot Noir (Best
Buy) ^ Meaty and rich, this wine's ripe strawberry flavors have a warm persimmon-like
spice. It's smoky and soft, finishing clean,
a pinot noir for filet mignon. -J.G. (W&S
6/20) §

WINE & SPIRITS

APRIL 2021

$38

2017 Napa Valley Pinot Noir ^ Located just
north of Carneros and east, across Redwood
Creek, below the slopes of Mount Veeder,
the Hendry Ranch includes several creekside parcels of pinot noir planted in alluvial
soils layered over blue and brown shale. In
2017, the Hendry's harvested this fruit in the
first days of September, at half the typical
yield. The wine is concentrated and savory,
spicy straight through, that weightless spice
pointed up by gentle tannins and carried on
a wash of blueberry flavors that last. With its
lovely depth and fresh-berry length of flavor,
this is destined to age well. -J.G. §

522834

90 | The Lost Chapters

$35

2018 Napa Valley Pinot Noir ^ A broad, lush
pinot noir, this wine shows its ripeness in
juicy black fruit and scents of violets. It's
clean and warm, a smooth textural pleasure
for drinking now. -J.G. §

SONOMA C OUNT Y
FORT ROSS-SEAVIEW
522425

96 | Hirsch

$85

2018 Fort Ross Seaview Reserve Estate
Pinot Noir ^ If you close your eyes, you might
feel the crash and the undertow of the sea, a
present and persistent energy and motion in
this wine grown within sight of the Pacific,
on ridges high above the surf. That elevation captures the sun in spicy, bright fruit
and builds the mineral power of the tannins, releasing their flavors in the crunch of
cherry leaves and the red skin of some as-yetundiscovered exotic fruit. Those flavors come
in a push-pull of wanting more and getting
more as the wine's structure yields, untied
and unbound as it develops over the course
of days, suggesting the course it will take over
a decade or more in the cellar. Anthony Filiberti vinified this wine, later blended by Jasmine Hirsch after she took over winemaking
at the estate, working with Michael Cruse as
consulting winemaker. (630 cases) -J.G. §

https://www.jmcclellandcellars.com/the-lost-chapters

Wine & Spirits - April 2021

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