Showing posts with label russian-river-valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label russian-river-valley. Show all posts

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  • Date publishedWednesday, August 30, 2023

Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018 (California) - Wine Review



red wine review is a beautiful Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley that arrived at the LCBO as a Summer Smart Buy in the LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Davis Bynum Winery - the original Russian River Valley Pinot Noir wine producer. The story begins in 1973, when Davis Bynum released his first small lot single vineyard Pinot Noir from the famed Rochioli vineyard in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. At the time, Pinot Noir was a relative stranger to the region, but this fickle grape thrived in the unique terroir of the Russian River Valley. As Davis Bynum was the first to produce a single vineyard, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, his efforts paved the way for the Russian River Valley winegrowing region to become one of California's finest for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

In 2007, Davis Bynum Winery was sold to proprietor Tom Klein and his family, 4th generation California farmers who shared the same values and principles that he built his own reputation on. Today, it remains in the capable hands of Tom Klein and winemaker Greg Morthole, as they honour the expertise and innovative winemaking spirit of founder, friend, and mentor Davis Bynum. Together, they are humbled and proud to carry on the Davis Bynum legacy while staying true to Bynum's philosophy.

The philosophy at Davis Bynum is based on intuitive winemaking - the techniques and technicalities of winemaking should be mastered to the extent that they take a backseat to instinct and intuition. With four decades of understanding the unique terroir of the Russian River Valley, this knowledge allows Davis Bynum to craft wines with emotion and soil at the forefront, but anchored by the innate understanding of this terroir's complexity. In the vineyard, they use certified sustainable vineyard practices, while opting for minimalist viticulture and handling the fruit with the utmost care. The grapes are also handpicked at night, before sunrise, which ensures that the grapes have stable sugar levels and, since they are already cool, the grapes require less chilling prior to crushing, thus saving energy. In keeping with their "hands off" approach, the grapes are naturally fermented in barrel using wild yeasts and bottled unfiltered. Each wine bearing the Bynum name is estate grown, bottled, and produced.

All of their wines are crafted with fruit exclusively from the Russian River Valley, a winegrowing region that has cool, maritime conditions that are ideal for early ripening varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The climate in this region is influenced by the consistent creep of cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the west. This fog ebbs and flows through the Petaluma Wind Gap and the channel cut by the Russian River across the coastal hills, typically arriving in the evening and dropping temperatures, and retreating to the ocean the following morning. This naturally cool climate allows wine grapes to develop full flavour maturity over an extended growing season, while retaining their natural acidity.

While Davis Bynum is distinguished as the first winery to produce a single vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, with their 1973 Pinot Noir from the Joe Rochioli vineyard, this particular Pinot is hand-crafted with grapes from four vineyards which reside on Goldridge sandy loam soils: Jane's, Dutton Lorenzo, Dutton Gregori, and Dutton Barron. This particular vintage blends the characteristics of two separate neighbourhoods - the warmer Santa Rosa Plains that provide darker fruit tones and velvety tannins, and the much cooler Green Valley that adds brightness and vibrant acidity. By blending warmer climate fruit with cooler climate fruit, Davis Bynum is able to craft a wine with tension between the rich fruit and lush mouthfeel of a centrally located Russian River vineyards in Santa Rosa against the bright fruit and racy acidity of the westernmost vineyards in the Green Valley. The final blend of this Pinot Noir was created after each different vineyard block was fermented and aged separately for 13 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels, 22% new.

The 2018 growing season was mild with low precipitation at just under 2 feet of rain, while summer saw only a handful of days warmer than 32°C, but none over 38°C, at their Jane's Vineyard, located in the warmer Santa Rosa Plains. The grapes were harvested into early September on cool and overcast mornings. From near-perfect growing conditions, let's see how this 2018 Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley is tasting tonight...

Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018 (91+ pts)

Tasting Note:

DAVIS BYNUM RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2018 - Sustainable, Sonoma County, California, USA (#458893) (XD) - $34.95
Elegant, medium-high to highly aromatic nose offers lovely bright red cherry aromas that mingle with musky, strawberry, gentle oak spice, and earth, plus hints of tea leaf, beetroot, and plum adding further complexity. It has good weight and concentration on the medium to medium-full bodied, dry palate with ripe red cherry, dark berry, strawberry, gentle oak spice, tea leaf, earth, and beetroot flavours in a nicely balanced profile. Acids are crisp, fresh, and juicy, while the refined tannins are lightly grippy, offering a pleasing mouthfeel. Tangy dark red berries with earthy mineral notes linger on the long, crisp finish. Should drink nicely over the next 5+ years. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91+ pts

Other fine wines by Davis Bynum are available through their Agent - Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits.


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  • Date publishedTuesday, February 21, 2017

Wine Tasting in Sonoma 2016

Stonestreet Wine Tasting
Back in , I had the pleasure of visiting Sonoma Wine Country for the very first time. This wine region has been on my radar for a while now, especially after the disappointment of not being able to visit Sonoma during my visit to nearby Napa Valley in 2012. After conducting various online searches and getting recommendations from friends of friends who had been to Sonoma previously, I settled on visiting 4 wineries, two of which who were new to me.

Sonoma County is quite a large and diverse wine region - also bigger than Napa Valley - comprising of various topographies, microclimates, and soil types. Almost 60,000 acres are planted with grapes, with the majority planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon - the 3 grapes I was most looking forward to tasting on this trip.

The view from Stonestreet Wines
The first stop was the furthest - about 1.5 hours north of home base (Concord) - and located within the Alexander Valley AVA, just west of the town of Healdsburg. Stonestreet Estate Vineyards is known for their premium, high-quality Mountain Vineyard wines. I tasted a few of their wines over the years back home in Toronto and was thoroughly impressed, thus increasing my desire to the visit the winery. It was founded by Jess Stonestreet Jackson (of Jackson Family Wines) and Barbara Banke in 1995 and has since been passed on to their son Christopher Jackson and his wife Ariel. As we tasted through the lineup, we were told that the grapes for the wines came from the mountain seen in the far distance between the two mountains in the fore (pictured above/left). There is a very cool digital mountain map on their website that shows where each of their vineyards are located on the mountain. It would have been very cool to go to the vineyards to get a closer look - perhaps on my next visit? Nevertheless, the wines here are excellent!

Holdredge Red Barn
The next stop, as we made our way back to home base, was Holdredge Wines - a small, family winery located within the town of Healdsburg. It was chosen based on a recommendation from a friend of a friend, and also on the fact that these wines aren't available in Ontario. The winery exists in a red barn that dates back to the late 1800s and has a long, rich history of continuous use, including during prohibition! The husband and wife team of John and Carri Holdredge (unfortunately didn't get to meet either of them) formed the winery back in 2001 with the intention of making what they knew best - Zinfandel and Syrah. However, that same year, renowned grower Saralee Kunde offered to sell some Pinot Noir to John and the wine took off. Today, Holdredge Wines now works with 14 different Pinot Vineyards all over Sonoma County - and no Zinfandel or Syrah. The wines are produced in a minimal interventionist style and I managed to taste through 6 Pinots - each sourced from a different vineyard - and there wasn't a bad wine in the group. I enjoyed all of them and am somewhat regretting the fact that I didn't pick up a bottle or two to bring to home as they offered relatively good value.

Holdredge Wine Lineup

Holdredge Winery

Inman Family Wines
Our third stop of the day was in the heart of the Russian River Valley at Inman Family Wines. The same fellow that recommended Holdredge Wines also recommended this small, family winery. The Inman story begins in the year 2000, when the Inman Family planted seven+ acres of Pinot Noir, and a patch of Pinot Gris on their ten-acre Olivet Grange property on Olivet Road. Winemaker Kathleen Inman's love for gardening began as a child and continues to this day, and in our brief conversation showed a lot passion and enthusiasm for her wines. The winery is committed to employing environmentally responsible, sustainable farming practices and using natural winemaking techniques. The organic fertilizers used in the vineyard are nutrient-rich and named "Four-Course Compost" because it is derived from the table scraps of high-end San Francisco restaurants. Production is small, with only 5,000 cases produced, and every wine is capped under Stelvin screw cap. We sat outside on the patio and tasted through quite a few wines, with reviews of my favourites - all single vineyard Pinot Noir - provided below. Unfortunately, these quality wines are also not available in Ontario.

La Crema Estate at Saralee's Vineyard
The final stop of the day was a short drive away to La Crema Winery. The winery was founded in 1979, but in June 2016 they opened up their new estate at Saralee's Vineyard. The centrepiece is the visitor experience centre sits in an historic barn that dates back to 1900 and sits on a knoll overlooking the storied Saralee's Vineyard. It was a bit chilly and windy outdoors, so we opted for only a tour of the building. Originally a hop barn, it later became the family home of Richard and Saralee Kunde, and thus felt very warm, cozy and inviting. This is a place where you can come visit, lose sense of time, and easily spend a whole afternoon tasting the many different wines on offer. We ended up spending the most time here as there were many delicious wines to taste, but also because we got quite comfortable and found it difficult to leave. Reviews of some of my favourite La Crema wines are posted below.

Inside La Crema Estate at Saralee's Vineyard

Group Photo

Overall, I was very pleased with my first ever visit to Sonoma County. Quite often we'll see single vineyard bottles, but never get to the see the vineyard itself because it's somewhere off-property that's relatively inaccessible. One thing I really appreciated as we drove along was that there were signs at every vineyard indicating the name of that vineyard, some names which I actually recognized. To see a vineyard name on a bottle, and then be able to see the vineyard with your own eyes was quite satisfying and visualized the sense of place.

I would've preferred to visit a couple of more wineries, but the 425+ wineries in Sonoma County are widely scattered across this large region. As such, it is somewhat difficult to cover many wineries in a single day. Another trip (or five) to this region is most definitely required to fully appreciate the wines from this area, including visiting the many small, family-run houses whose wines aren't available in Ontario.

And lastly, I was very satisfied with the quality of the Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir I tasted on this visit. I was especially impressed with the Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, as well as the mountain vineyard Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. If you wish to acquire any of these wines, please contact the agent in Ontario (B&W Wines) for availability and ordering of Stonestreet and La Crema wines. To order Holdredge and Inman Family wines, please contact the winery directly, or better yet - go visit them in Sonoma County in person!

Tasting Notes:

STONESTREET COUGAR RIDGE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2013 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (D) - $55
From south-facing vineyards at an elevation of 850 feet. The nose is a bit shy, but has hints of apple, golden pear, butter, sweet vanilla and hints of pineapple. It's fairly light-weighted with fresh, crisp, balanced and very nice, ripe-fruited aroma replays showing a touch of sweetness. Nicely balanced, with hints of butterscotch, toffee, and caramel on the long finish. Score: 90 pts

Stonestreet Cougar Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay 2013 (90 pts)Stonestreet Upper Barn Chardonnay 2013 (92 pts)

STONESTREET UPPER BARN CHARDONNAY 2013 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#253542) (XD) - $90
From vines planted in 1973 at an elevation between 1,600 - 1,800 feet, this also initially had a closed that hinted at light green apple, minerals, vanilla, and butter. It really started to open up with time in the glass. Medium-bodied with balanced acids and flavours of pineapple, pear, and subtle oak spice. A delicate and elegant wine with touches of butter and vanilla notes on the long finish. Score: 92 pts

STONESTREET BEAR POINT VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (XD) - $60
Sourced from vines at an elevation between 1,000 - 1,200 feet, this has a very lifted fruit-forward nose of dark cherry, blackberry and sweet cedar oak spices adding complexity. It's full-bodied with appealing currant, cassis, blackberry, black cherry, and sweet oak spice flavours. Acids are fresh, while the ripe, refined tannins provide support, handling the 14.5% abv well. There's very good depth of fruit. Excellent length on the finish with a fine mineral streak. Score: 91 pts

Stonestreet Bear Point Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (91 pts)Stonestreet Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (93 pts)

STONESTREET ROCKFALL VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#249367) (XD) - $100
From vines at 2,200 feet above sea level and above the fog line, this warmer site has produced a Cab that's highly aromatic that's earthy and terroir-driven profile, backed by black cherry, blackberry, and dark currant notes. It's full-bodied with firm tannins and nicely balanced, complex aroma replays. Acids are mouth-watering, while the finish length is excellent and offers currant and hints of mint and cassis flavours. Still a bit tight and should be better in 2-3 and enjoy over the next decade or two. Score: 93 pts

HOLDREDGE "SHAKEN NOT STIRRED" PINOT NOIR 2013 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (XD) - $45
Made from only the Martini clone from Saralee's Vineyard, this offers a lovely complex bouquet of cherry, cola, black tea, black cherry and some earthy aromas of medium-to-high intensity. It's light-weighted with refined tannins with appealing fruit-forward aroma replays along with some earthy spice notes. Acids are bright and refreshing, while the finish length is excellent. Score: 91 pts

Holdredge "Shaken Not Stirred" Pinot Noir 2013 (91 pts)Holdredge "The True" Pinot Noir 2014 (91+ pts)

HOLDREDGE "THE TRUE" PINOT NOIR 2014 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (XD) - $50
The grapes for this wine are from a single-vineyard in Annapolis, in northern Sonoma. Highly aromatic with lovely floral, black tea, cherry and mineral nose. It's medium-bodied with very nice aroma replays on the palate supported by good tannic structure and crisp, fresh acids. Excellent finish length. Drinking well now, but will improve in 3-4 years. Score: 91+ pts

HOLDREDGE "JUDGMENT TREE" PINOT NOIR 2013 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (XD) - $70
From the Rochioli Vineyard, 5 miles south of the winery, this has clean, well-balanced and complex aromas of black tea, cherry, earth and sweet spice aromas. It is medium-bodied on the palate with racy acids, fine tannic structure, and very nice aroma replays. Harmonious and showing plenty of finesse, while also having juicy acids and a long-lasting finish. Highly drinkable now, but should improve further over the coming 5 years. Score: 92 pts

Holdredge "Judgment Tree" Pinot Noir 2013 (92 pts)

INMAN FAMILY SEXTON ROAD RANCH PINOT NOIR 2013 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (XD) - $68
The nose is medium-to-high intensity and features lovely ripe fruited cherry, earth and spice aromas. It's medium-bodied with integrated, crunchy tannins and a flavour profile that continues from the aromas, joined by compelling incense flavours. It has juicy acids and finishes long with exotic spice notes. Score: 90 pts

Inman Family Sexton Road Ranch Pinot Noir 2013 (90 pts)Inman Family Thorn Ridge Ranch Pinot Noir 2012 (90+ pts)

INMAN FAMILY THORN RIDGE RANCH PINOT NOIR 2012 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (XD) - $68
Medium-high intensity nose offers lovely black tea, earth, dark cherry, and blackberry aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with very nice, well-balanced aroma replays, and tannins that are a touch chalky. Nicely spiced mid-palate. The finish is a touch on the sweet side, showing some mature dried fruit/floral characters. Lovely stuff. Score: 90+ pts

INMAN FAMILY OGV ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2013 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (XD) - $73
The medium-high intensity nose has appealing aromas of cherry, sweet spice, and some dried cherry and floral aromas. It's medium-bodied with refined tannins providing an elegantly structured mouthfeel and very pleasing aroma replays. Balanced acids. Nice wood spice notes linger on the long finish. Drinkable now or age at least 3 years and drink to 2024. Score: 92 pts

Inman Family OGV Estate Pinot Noir 2013 (92 pts)

LA CREMA SARALEE'S VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2013 - Russian River Valley, California, USA (XD) - $50
Aged in a mix of new and used French oak for 9 months, this has complex medium-high intensity aromas of bing cherry, earth, cola, white pepper and mushroom. The palate is medium-bodied with gritty tannins, fresh acids and nice earthy aroma replays along with hints of dark cherry. Fine finish length. Score: 89 pts

La Crema Saralee's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 (89 pts)La Crema Fog Veil Pinot Noir 2013 (89 pts)

LA CREMA FOG VEIL PINOT NOIR 2013 - Russian River Valley, California, USA (XD) - $50
Sourced from a vineyard located in the Santa Rosa Plains, this has medium-high intensity aromas of tea leaves, red cherry and plum. On the light-to-medium bodied palate, it has flavours of dark berry, cherry, black plum and subtle oak spice. It has balanced acids, refined tannins, and a long, spiced finish. Score: 89 pts

LA CREMA CHEHALEM MOUNTAINS PINOT NOIR 2012 - Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (XD) - $45
Medium-high aromatics offer pretty hibiscus flower, tea leaves, red cherry and more exotic floral notes. It's light-weighted with lovely floral aroma replays. Acids are balanced and crunchy tannins are well-integrated. The finish is long with hints of dried fruit. Score: 90 pts

La Crema Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir 2012 (90 pts)

All prices in this post are the local price in Sonoma in USD.


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  • Date publishedSunday, July 20, 2014

Gallo Family Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay 2009 (Sonoma) - Wine Review

Wine Review of 2009 Gallo Family Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay from Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Purchased this gorgeous cool-climate Chardonnay from an LCBO Vintages release last August that highlighted a bunch of wines that were scored 90 pts or higher by some of the more famous wine critics.

It was opened due to a closing drinking window. For those that prefer very oakey Chardonnays, this is one not to be missed, as you will see from my wine review below. However, it's unlikely you will be able to find this vintage in Vintages at this point in time, but I could see the 2010 coming into stock in the near future. This white wine paired great with crab curry and will go really well with other rich, seafood dishes.


GALLO FAMILY LAGUNA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2009 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#544981) (XD) - $19.95

Wine Label of 2009 Gallo Family Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay from Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Tasting Note:
Mango, melon and peach aromas from the cork. Heavily oaked with smoky aromas lead the way, followed by butter, and hints of apple. On the palate, it's medium-full bodied, dry, and concentrated with buttery oak, honeysuckle, spice and nutty flavours. Acids are still fresh. Slightly creamy texture, with a finish that is excellent in length and smooth. Enjoyed with Dungeness crab curry. Highly recommended. Score: 90 pts


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