Pinot Noir

wines

A very delicious and complex aromatic wine with layers of textures and flavors. On the nose, dark cherries, black raspberries, cola, flowers and bay leaves. The palate leans toward dark fruits like crushed blackberries and blueberries. Super fresh and delicious, with notes of sage in the finish. So yummy. From organically grown grapes.James Suckling | 98 JSA deep ruby color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard comes from the southern end of the Russian River Valley close to Marin, a cool-climate site with late-ripening 30+ year old vines. The nose is bright and fresh with cranberry and snappy pomegranate fruit, as well as cinnamon, salty earth, and vibrant acidity. It has a medium-bodied frame with more tension and a clean, stony textured finish. This was a highlight for me. Drink 2026-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2022 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1990. Fermented with around 25% whole clusters, it has complex aromas of red and black berries and plums, grapefruit peel, Angostura bitters, licorice, woodsmoke and mossy bark. The medium-bodied palate is stunning! It floods the mouth with layer after layer of floral fruit. It’s structured by silky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a hauntingly long finish. It will be long lived in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2022 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard is plump, juicy and ready to go. Vivid floral and savory overtones play off a core of exuberant Russian River fruit. Black cherry, mocha, cloves, new leather and a kiss of French oak build into the supple finish.Vinous Media | 93 VMOffers red and black cherry pâte de fruit notes, with flashes of singed anise, sassafras and rose hip. A bramble detail adds energy through the finish. Best from 2026 through 2029. 200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The first-ever Estate Pinot Noir from Ramey, sourced from the family’s home ranch, Westside Farms, which neighbours Williams-Selyem and Rochioli. This historic site has been farmland since the mid-1800s and borders a mile and a half of the Russian River. "Context is important, especially in a challenging vintage," says Alan Ramey. To illustrate this, they presented the wine side by side with an Échezeaux Grand Cru. "Temperatures are changing, and Burgundy is getting warmer. Our wine has nearly the same TA, pH, and ABV, yet the style is slightly different—and then there’s the value play… this Burgundy costs about $300 more than ours. We want to show that our wines can stand alongside those at much higher price points." Ramey ferments in stainless steel before transferring to a barrel, whereas the Burgundy was fermented in a barrel with 100% new French oak. The Ramey Estate Pinot Noir is aged in approximately 40–50% new French oak. The wine displays beautiful vibrancy, with a light- to medium-bodied character and a gentle sweetness to its red-fruited core. Blood orange acidity and elevated, velvety tannins add a crisp edge. The long finish carries layers of red berry fruit, blood orange, clove, coriander cream, sassafras, and pressed wildflowers, all underpinned by hints of loamy, sandy earth. Savoury and bone dry, with remarkable intensity balanced by freshness.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECThe 2022 Estate Pinot Noir Westside Farms is the inaugural release of Pinot Noir from the Ramey family’s Westside Farms ranch. It comes from vines planted in clay-loam soils along the Russian River in 2001. The grapes were harvested on August 18 and 19, before the Labor Day heat wave, and only free-run juice was included. It was fermented in tank with 25% whole clusters and matured for 18 months in 45% new French François Frères barrels. It has a pale ruby color and open, inviting aromas of cranberry sauce, rhubarb, blood orange, allspice and Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate surprises with its highly concentrated, layered flavors and is lent complexity by emerging earthy nuances. It’s structured by lacy tannins and vibrant acidity and has a very long, layered finish. It will benefit from several years in the cellar. It will be released in September of 2025.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2022 Pinot Noir Westside Farms is a bright red color and has a spiced profile with notes of ripe cherries, strawberries, toasted spices, and forest floor. The palate is highly elegant, with a medium-bodied frame, and it has an elegant freshness, refined tannins, and an even finish. (Ramey did a wonderful job of keeping elegance and freshness in this vintage.) It’s going to be released in the fall and will have a wide window for enjoyment over the next 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDWonderful savory, woodsy aromas and good, complex dark berry and black plum flavors in this full-bodied, moderately tannic wine. Elements of pine, redwood bark, bay laurel, black raspberries and wood smoke. Made using one-fourth whole clusters, with skin contact of three weeks and barrel aged for 20 months, all of which emphasize the savory aspects. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSOffers streamlined raspberry and blood orange coulis notes infused with a light potpourri accent through the finish, which is marked by pretty perfume. Drink now through 2027. 428 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The tension and linearity of this wine are incredible, as fresh, vivid fruit flavors ride an electric wave of bracing acidity from the first whiff to the long, lingering finish. Layers of haunting mushroom, iron and bay leaf nuances meet cranberries, sour cherries, rhubarb and black tea flavors that linger and echo after the last sip. An impeccable wine for drinking now through at least 2032.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch is spicy, with nuances of white pepper, dusty rose and dried strawberries. Its soft texture offers a tart core of fruit to balance as crisp mineral tones and inner florals arch across the palate. Structured yet balanced and long, this 2022 finishes with admirable length and a sour citrus tinge that adds freshness. Patience is suggested.Vinous Media | 94+ VMThis wine reminds me that I live in Oregon. It smells like the loamy soil and pine needles I encounter on forest walks. At the same time, the cherry-flavored pipe tobacco and well-worn Pendleton wool shirt aromas remind me of campfire sessions at the beach. The wine’s elegant texture befits its nice acidity and firm tannins without being harsh. Ripe blackberry and sourdough bread flavors are spiced up by Thai basil and black pepper. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEVibrant and tart with acidity, this red offers well-sculpted cherry and cranberry flavors highlighted by savory tea and tarragon tones that build toward lively tannins. Drink now through 2032. 2,340 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA medium, matte-red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Mineral Springs Ranch is ripe with autumnal spiced aromas of baked cherries, mushroom-covered earth, walnut, and baking spice. The palate is medium-bodied, with ripe tannins and a more modest feel through the finish. It’s showing some development at this tasting and I would recommend drinking it over the next 6-7 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

The 2022 Pinot Noir Old Vines has explosive aromas of raspberry, strawberry, tangerine, licorice, fern and amaro. The light-bodied palate is just as gregarious, bursting with fruit and spice that accent a concentrated core of berry fruit. It has a luxuriously silky texture, fireworks of fresh acidity and a very long, layered finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA floral nose with violets and rose petals leading the way. This comes from two old vine sites in the Dundee Hills. It was not affected by the frost in 2022, winemaker Jim Maresh got to use his primary shoots, and that means the wine stays concentrated. Weber Vineyard is a quarter mile from Maresh Vineyard on Worden Hill Road. Gobs of fresh berries, savoury dried anise, and bramble fruits mark the palate.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2022 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Old Vines is remarkably pretty, cascading up from the glass with a vibrant blend of minty herbs and crushed cherries complemented by hints of cola and spice. This has energy to spare, silken in feel with ripe red berry fruits that envelop the senses. It takes on a darker shade toward the close as tactile minerals saturate. A bump of juicy acidity enlivens the finish as sweet tannins tug at the senses and notes of blood orange slowly fade. The 2022 is like a well-muscled dancer. It’s already so likable that many collectors may not have the patience to watch it fully mature. The Dundee Hills Old Vines is sourced from vines that average 41 years old, all Pommard clones, sourced from 75% Maresh and 25% Weber Vineyard.Vinous Media | 94 VMAn elegantly dynamic red, with vibrant cherry and cranberry flavors highlighted by black tea and forest floor tones as this sails along the steely finish. Drink now through 2032. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A good bit of this wine comes from Bishop Creek, up to one-third, though it includes five to six other sites. ‘The idea of this wine is to express both the Valley and the vintage,’ says Jean Nicolas Méo. It’s both a vineyard and barrel selection and 30% new oak. The aromatics are grounded in red florals, with touches of earth and a spritz of spiced blood orange. The palate is elegant and refined, with tart berries, a silken structure and a beautiful finish of savoury spice. We make the barrel selection for this wine first before we make our single vineyard wines. ‘These are the best sites and our best barrels from the vintage,’ says partner Jay Boberg.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2022 Pinot Noir L’Ensemble is a top 100 Wines of the Year contender. Sporting a reflective medium ruby hue in the glass, it’s pretty and inviting on opening, with pure notes of wild berries, delicate spices, crushed stones, and fresh roses. Medium-bodied on the palate, it’s refreshing and light on its feet, with fine tannins, a clean feel all the way through, and a tapered, mouthwatering finish. Seamless and pure, this is a fantastic appellation wine to enjoy over the next 10-12 years. I would snatch up a case or two to enjoy more frequently.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDElegant and pure, this pinot opens with aromas of fresh cherries, red currants, subtle flowers, dried tangerine peel and savory herbs. The palate is medium-bodied and effortlessly balanced, with silky tannins and lively acidity carrying the wine to a long, smooth, slightly spiced finish. I like the mineral tension. Better from 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSA steely version, with chiseled acidity and pinpoint notes of cranberry and cherry that are laced with stony minerality, forest floor and rose petal details as this gathers tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033. 1,348 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis best barrel selection from prime Willamette Valley vineyards invites you in with aromas of rose petals, red cherries, sweet pea flowers and lemon. Crisp acidity awakens the palate to fresh flavors of boysenberries, rosemary and orange zest. L’Ensemble’s tannins are as silky as its texture. To quote the Fine Young Cannibals, the L’Ensemble is a "Good Thing." Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe 2022 Pinot Noir L’Ensemble is a total pleasure to take in, mixing wild blueberries and cherries with sweet spice and hints of cola. This is fruit-forward yet refined, with juicy acidity and bitter tinges of clove and citrus that add contrast throughout. It tapers off with medium length, leaving a tart cranberry crunchiness and a pleasantly chewy sensation that persists.Vinous Media | 92 VM

This impeccably structured version shows a simmering intensity that remains graceful on the palate, with detailed raspberry flavors that draw in accents of forest floor and rose petal as this builds tension and richness toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2034. 553 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe Summum comes from the lowest-yielding vines in the La Source parcel and this wine is made with 33% whole cluster. The aromatics balance elegance with deep umami character. Elements of turned earth and smoky rose petals play off against tart blackberries and blood oranges. The palate shows a concentration of fruit yielding freshness throughout. Plum skin and blackberries with mint are given over to savoury herbs, mouthfuls of dried violets, turned earth, smoked sea salt and a hint of nori, a wonderful display of umami and forest floor.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECMade from the oldest vines on the Seven Springs property, this medium-bodied and complex wine seamlessly blends savory notes of black tea and bay leaves with tart cherry, strawberry, raspberry and mushroom undertones. Best from 2027.James Suckling | 96 JSThe newest Summum is a showstopper. Fresh, floral aromas of mainland roses and tropical plumeria flowers join together with tart red raspberry and roasted pork shoulder notes. A crisp mouthfeel and texture showcase flavors like Rainier cherries, lime and bittersweet dark chocolate. Pour this with grilled portobello mushrooms and Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2022 Pinot Noir Summum is perfumed with peppery florals and dusty lavender, complementing crushed wild berries. This is full of energy, cooling and racy, with depths of tart red fruit cascading beneath an air of violet and rose. It takes on a grippy sensation as fine tannins mount toward the close. The Summum is fermented using 30-40% whole clusters and refined in 60% new French oak.Vinous Media | 95 VMFermented with whole clusters, the 2022 Pinot Noir Summum unfurls dramatically on the nose, wafts of tar and underbrush giving way to cranberry, autumn leaves and dried flowers. The medium-bodied palate has a concentrated core of nuanced fruit. It’s structured by silky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long, bitters-laced finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2022 Summum Pinot Noir is an outstanding young wine. Like the la Source bottling this year, the wine comes in at 13.2 percent octane and offers up a superb and utterly refined bouquet of black cherries, sweet dark berries, raw cocoa, dark soil tones, pigeon, woodsmoke and a gentle framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, tangy and precise, with a great core of black fruit, superb soil transparency and grip, ripe, fine-grained tannins and laser-like focus on the long, complex and nascently complex finish. As I have mentioned before, the Summum bottling is made from the same parcels of vines as the la Source, with the team at Evening Land making a vineyard selection of the very finest bunches to be dedicated to this cuvée. This will need an extended period of hibernation, but it will be outstanding once it is ready to go. (Drink between 2037 - 2075)John Gilman | 94 JG