Sonoma County (Sonoma Coast) – Page 2

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A medium-bodied, plump, and juicy Pinot Noir with a velvety texture, sourced from four vineyards: Terra de Promissio, Cut Root, Bucher, and Placida. The inclusion of 15% whole clusters adds a touch of grip, though the tannins are well-integrated and refined. Aged 11 months in 30% new French oak, the wine shows layered baking spice character—clove, nutmeg, and a touch of dusty minerality on the finish. Harmonious and inviting, it’s an effortlessly appealing Pinot Noir that’s all too easy to drink. Debra Mathay purchased Dutcher Crossing in 2007, and it now produces more than thirty wines from Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties, farming 75 acres of estate vineyards.

Red

2023

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This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from a collection of exceptional Sonoma vineyards, including Gap’s Crown, Lancel Creek, Terra de Promissio, and Durell. Aged for 10 months in 35% new French oak, the 2023 vintage marks the inaugural release of this wine—and what a debut it is. A Pinot Noir fireworks display of red cherry, clove, and mild Indian spices bursts across the palate, supported by firm, taut tannins with an iron edge, underscored by blood orange acidity and framed by a red floral and sweet-spice finish. Gary Farrell Winery has been a pioneer of the Russian River Valley wine scene for over 40 years.

Red

2023

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A lip-smacking, deeply flavorful Pinot Noir that builds beautifully in the glass with high-toned rose petal florals, ripe cherry, cherrywood smoke, and clove, all coming together seamlessly on a creamy palate. It finishes with a fine thread of cool wet slate and salinity, driven by vibrant tension and energy. Quite delicious. This 100% Pinot Noir is barrel-aged for 11 months in 30% new French oak and is primarily composed of Pommard and Wädenswil 2A clones. Owner and Winemaker Erik Miller founded Kokomo Winery in 2004 (named after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana). Miller partnered with fourth generation grower Randy Peters to craft wines from the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys.

Red

2023

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For readers familiar with the Three Sticks expression of Gap’s Crown, this bottling shows the other side of the flavor coin. It’s a more focused, tension-driven take on the site—less fleshy, more mineral-layered and crunchy-fruited, yet still thoroughly delicious. A creamy core remains, with panna cotta–like vanilla notes, but here it’s framed by harmonious wet-stone minerality and that signature redwood-grove and clove spice. It hits all the classic Gap’s Crown markers, but with restraint and precision. Really impressive—and quite fabulous.

Red

2023

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The backbone of this wine is Gap’s Crown, blended with fruit from Marshall in the Sebastopol Hills, Pratt–Sexton, Crane Canyon, Thorn Ridge and Pepperwood. A mix of clones—667, Swan, 115, 114, 828, Dijon selections and Clone 23—fermented in stainless steel, concrete and oak, then aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Absolutely gorgeous coastal florals lead the nose, intertwined with sea-spray minerality and wet stone. Crunchy dark berry fruit drives the palate, joined by savory spice notes reminiscent of a damp redwood grove, clove, scorched earth, tangerine peel and grapefruit zest. A subtle incense-like minerality carries through to the firm yet inviting finish.

Red

2023

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This Clone 15 Chardonnay comes from Baer Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The fruit is pressed off the skins quickly, then fermented in a mix of stainless steel and French oak, with very little new wood, and aged for ten months in Atelier and François Frères barrels. The wine shows vivid aromatics of candied ginger and elegant cedarwood, building into green apple and pear with a squeeze of lemon. Satiny textures and a well-balanced line of tension frame the palate. Crafted by winemaker Cabell Coursey and owned by Christine and Tony Lombardi.

White

2023

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This Pinot Noir is a blend of clones 2A, 115, 667, and Pommard from Baer Vineyard, along with Clone 777 from Gap’s Crown Vineyard. It’s fermented in stainless steel and aged for ten months in a 38-hectoliter cask. Co-owner Tony Lombardi also runs a charity, Hilinski’s Hope, which focuses on raising awareness around mental health in young athletes. The wine is incredibly zesty and floral, with notes of blood orange and grapefruit zest, rich cocoa nibs, and clove spice. Everything comes together in a full-flavored, medium-bodied expression with a velvety finish.

Red

2023

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This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from several vineyards within Sonoma Carneros, including a small portion from the estate property. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new, it’s a ripe, full-throttle, tropical-scented Chardonnay with a supple palate and toasty oak spices interlaced with baked apple and pear, all drizzled with a touch of lemon cream. Sean Minor Wines was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Sean and Nicole Minor, and is still family-owned and operated. In 2023, their daughter, Elle Minor, joined the team as winemaker. Wines are made from a combination of estate fruit and fruit purchased from sustainably farmed sources throughout California.

White

2023

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This Pinot Noir hails from select Sonoma Carneros sites and was fermented in open-top stainless steel tanks before being pressed into French oak barrels—a mix of toast levels—where it completed malolactic fermentation and aged for 10 months, 20% new. It’s a soft, seductive, and full-bodied Pinot Noir with creamy dark cherry fruit, spiced plum, clove, and wet slate notes. Lengthy and fruit-driven on the finish. Sean Minor Wines was founded in 2005 by husband-and-wife team Sean and Nicole Minor, and is still family-owned and operated. In 2023, their daughter, Elle Minor, joined the team as winemaker. Wines are made from a combination of estate fruit and fruit purchased from sustainably farmed sources throughout California.

Red

2023

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This 125-case cuvée is sourced from three vineyards spanning the interior Sonoma Coast—Baer, Bacigalupi, and Sangiacomo. Winemaker Matt Duffy selected barrels that expressed particularly coastal, savory tones inspired by the region’s cool-climate character. Some fermentations included whole clusters to add structure and spice. The result is a beautifully balanced Pinot Noir with layered aromatics, coastal energy, and textural depth. Aromas of black cherry and fig mingle with applewood smoke and apple blossom, enhanced by brown baking spices, clove, and stony minerality. Juicy and supple on the palate with zesty acidity, it’s a vibrant, finely tuned expression of site and season. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County, producing 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are made by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.

Red

2023

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The Coastlands Vineyard is owned by Ross Cobb, and 2023 marks the final vintage that Williams Selyem will produce from this site. Aged for 16 months in 62% new French oak and 38% one-year-old barrels, the wine wine shows an incredible sous-bois character—local redwood, mineral-rich intensity, and all the wild forest nuance this coastal site is known for. Layers of pomegranate seed, bergamot, red fruit, grapefruit zest and zippy, zingy acidity unfold alongside a distinct sea-salt complexity. There’s a vibrant, refreshing acid spine and even a touch of blood-orange citrus. Dark-fruited, laser-focused and intense, this is a wine built for the long haul—one that will age for a very long time.

Red

2023

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100% Pinot Noir, sourced from Hirsch Vineyard, and aged for 16 months in 43% new French oak and 57% one-year-old barrels, this red utilizes fruit from a handful of clones—including Pommard, Mt. Eden and Clone 114— from older vines on the East Ridge. Jeff Mangahas notes that you really have to coax the aromatics out of this wine, because there’s a strong maritime-saline influence that comes through—subtle red-berry tones layered with deep forest notes. The attack is driven by beautifully fine tannins balanced by a succulent mid-palate fruit weight. Those tannins linger with a crushed-mineral, crushed-rock and apple-skin character.

Red

2023

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This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from Precious Mountain Vineyard and was aged for 16 months in 67% new French oak and 33% one-year-old barrels. Jeff Mangahas notes that Williams Selyem has been making this wine since the late 1990s. The vineyard sits near Hirsch, and includes some of the oldest vines in the area, with plantings going back to 1971. It was originally planted to Alsatian varieties, and today it remains completely dry farmed. That dry farming coaxes out the wild side of Pinot Noir, giving this wine a rich underbrush character—super intense—with notes of leather, ironstone earth, blueberry compote, fresh blueberry fruit and fig paste. The tannins are the most robust of their entire lineup. Full-bodied and full-flavored, it shows incredibly deep, fleshy fruit, yet the wine still feels fresh, vibrant and totally intense.

Red

2023

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The Sonoma Coast bottling is bright, crunchy and elegant, with more impactful tannins than even the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir—which has its own impressive textural range. This wine is fresh, inviting and dark-fruited, showing rich conifer and redwood-bark notes, with layers of texture built on a velvety core and grippy apple-skin tannins. Gorgeous cedarwood aromatics mingle with sage, wet stone, clove and citrus zest. A blend of 100% Pinot Noir fruit from Falstaff, Putnam, Starkey and Terra de Promissio, aged for 11 months in 42% new French oak and 58% one-year-old barrels.

Red

2023

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Sourced from Terra de Promissio Vineyard, which sits in the Petaluma Wind Gap, planted in 2002 to Dijon clones 115 and 777, along with Swan and Calera. Aged for 16 months in 67% new French oak and 33% one-year-old barrels, this 100% Pinot Noir is gorgeously perfumed, showing violet and blueberry coulis aromas with the wonderful natural crispness that defines this cool, windy corridor. Clove spice and wet slate add complexity, and the grippy tannin texture brings depth, energy and a sumptuous layering to the wine’s tension-filled profile. It captures this part of the world in a beautifully articulate way.

Cristaldi Scores

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Williams Selyem

Terra de Promissio Vineyard Pinot Noir

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