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Vintage
Wine
Color
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This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from Bucher Vineyard and was aged for 16 months in 63% new French oak and 37% one-year-old barrels. The original vines were planted in the early 1990s, and Jeff Mangahas began working with the fruit in the early 2000s (he also helped develop the vineyard, refining the spacing and selecting new clonal material). This bottling comes from heritage clones planted in 2011. The wine is built on rich raspberry fruit, loamy earth and an intense, exotic earthiness. There’s even a shiitake mushroom essence and a raw, underbrush, grassy-leather quality, all wrapped around deep berry concentration on the palate. Beautifully grippy intensity carries the finish, which resolves with an unctuous, delicious richness. The balance between primary fruit and deep earthy spice is exceptional.
This vineyard is one of the key components in the Eastside Road Neighbors bottling. This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from Calegari Vineyard and was aged for 16 months in 63% new French oak and 37% one-year-old barrels. The plant material here includes Dijon 115—which has thicker skins—as well as Swan and Mt. Eden heritage clones. The wine delivers explosive red-fruit character: cranberry, cherry and rose petals, all lifted by warm brown baking spices. Full-bodied richness is balanced by a vivid saline–citrus acid tension that frames this youthfully exuberant wine. That salty mineral edge comes directly from this gravelly site. The finish is highly expressive and super floral, anchoring the aromatics while showcasing great fruit depth on the palate. What a wine.
Sourced from Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard, a site that sits along the riverbank, sourced from a 1989 planting established using budwood from a 1960s block. The vines grow in silty, well-drained soils, and the aromas are wonderfully intriguing—wild herbs, live oak, and the wild fennel that grows along the Russian River. On the palate, the wine is succulent, showing mulberry and raspberry fruit with palate-coating tannins that are refined and elegant yet still robust. It’s highly aromatic, fresh and inviting, and the wine feels like the pure culmination of what this site naturally expresses—both aromatically and in flavor. Aged for 16 months in 68% new French oak and 32% one-year-old barrels.
The grapes for this wine were sourced entirely from Hopkins River Ranch in the heart of the Russian River Valley, where Bob Hopkins has been farming wine grapes on his family’s property off Eastside Road since the 1970s. Fermented and aged for five months in a combination of older oak (58%) and stainless steel barrels (42%), the wine is crunchy, crisp, and super tart, with bright lime acidity, grassy nuances, and tropical fruit character reminiscent of kiwi and green apple. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County producing about 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are crafted by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.
From the Bacigalupi family’s historic Goddard Ranch—the first property Helen and Charles Bacigalupi purchased in the 1950s, and the source of grapes used in Chateau Montelena’s legendary 1973 Chardonnay that won the Judgement of Paris—this wine carries a remarkable legacy. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels (50% new), it offers layers of baked lemon, orchard fruit, lemon oil, and French pastry richness, all seamlessly integrated. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County producing about 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are crafted by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.
Two blocks at Bacigalupi’s Frost Ranch comprise this 2023 Pinot Noir: the Wente selection, picked two weeks later than in 2022, and the Pommard block, picked in October. The wine aged ten months in French oak barrels (33% new). It’s dark-fruited, with the ripe cherry appeal so prevalent in wines from this stretch of the Russian River Valley, brightened by orange peel and grapefruit zest. Cola nut fills in the gaps, joined by the creamy richness of the fruit and muscular tannins that form a solid foundation for this delectable wine. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County producing about 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are crafted by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.
Bold and dark-fruited, with briary cherry fruit, cherry-wood smoke, incense, and blood orange on the nose, all carrying through to the medium-bodied palate. Crisp tannins support a bulwark of brown baking-spice character, balancing the drying structure with a sweeter finish marked especially by ripe cherry fruit. Quite nice. This marks the winery’s 12th vintage of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. The 2023 bottling is a blend of two vineyards in the northern part of the AVA: Baer Vineyard (60%) and Bacigalupi (40%). The sites sit less than a mile apart, bordered by Westside Road to the west and the Russian River to the east. The clonal makeup includes Pommard, 115, 667, and 777. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned Sonoma County winery producing about 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are crafted by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.
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.
Dustin Valette has known Michael Browne since his days at John Ash & Co., and when they launched this project it became a genuinely special collaboration for the two of them. This is the first wine they’ve made together. The Pinot Noir is supple, round, and sumptuous, with wonderfully plump tannins and smooth, silky mixed berry fruit, layered with fragrant cocoa powder, dried violets, and rose petals. A rich saline minerality emerges on the medium-bodied finish and seems to linger effortlessly. The intensity of the wine is very much Michael Browne in character, yet it retains admirable energy and drive.
Entirely from Bush Crispo, crafted by Bob Cabral. Crushed cherry and cherry compote lead the way, followed by unsweetened chocolate and darker forest floor notes, with nuances of crushed cocoa nibs. The palate is intense, showing Rooibos tea notes and an almost meaty, iron-like mineral character, supported by integrated cedarwood and a spicy white pepper lift from some whole-cluster inclusion. Serve this with steak au poivre.
This is crafted by Bob Cabral. Super-fragrant from the outset, with rose petal and rose stem notes, dark cherry, and dark slate, lifted by white pepper spice and fresh redwood forest nuances. Black tea notes support the super-dark, juicy, ripe fruit and macerated cherry character. Hints of tangerine peel and crushed cocoa nibs add detail, all carried by a velvety texture and impressive length.
All estate fruit from Tom Rochioli. There’s a wonderfully lush, creamy richness here, underscored by very pretty, lacy acidity. Notes of lemon oil and a creamy center are layered with wildflower honey and gorgeous French pastry nuances. It’s delicious on a stick—haha. Absolutely long and layered. Pair it with whole roasted goose or turkey thighs—unctuous, with crisp, crunchy fat—or roast chicken in a mushroom sauce. Anything poultry, really. Pheasant for sure: the gaminess of the bird and the richness of this Chardonnay will crush your soul with goodness.
It offers that classic David Ramey Chardonnay profile, with a crisp, bright, and vivid personality. Lemon peel and fresh citrus notes are layered with subtle, gorgeous cedarwood accents, sea spray, and intense mineral character. The wine is lush yet cool, showing lovely candied ginger and quince, carried by saline-laced acid tension and lingering white floral notes. Long and delicious, it’s made for rich, fatty seafood—broiled lobster is heaven with this.
This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from Tolmasoff Vineyard, planted entirely to the UV Montrachet clone, and was fermented and aged for 10 months in a concrete “hippo” tank with no oak influence. It’s a dazzling Chardonnay with a heady, rich complexity—lemon citrus, creamy apple, and pear mingle with candied white floral notes, ginger cream, and a subtle toasty nuance. The medium-bodied palate reveals savory tarragon tones and a long, lingering finish of toasted almonds. Balanced acidity keeps the wine bright, energetic, and beautifully focused. James and Kerry MacPhail started Tongue Dancer as a personal brand in 2012. All of their wines are produced in their winery built (in 2008) on their 1-acre property in Healdsburg.
This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from Jim Pratt’s Vine Hill Vineyard and composed of Robert Young, 70, and Mt. Eden clones. Aged for 14 months sur lie in 100% French oak (33% new), it’s a dynamic, tropical-fruited, and lavishly textured Chardonnay framed by fine-boned acidity. Layers of preserved Meyer lemon, dried apricot, and dried pineapple unfold with hints of mango, white peach, acacia flower honey, and crystallized ginger, all flowing through the full-bodied, lingering finish. James and Kerry MacPhail started Tongue Dancer as a personal brand in 2012. All of their wines are produced in their winery built (in 2008) on their 1-acre property in Healdsburg.
There’s nothing not to love about this 100% Pinot Noir sourced from Vineyard Eleven, planted entirely to the UV-VR clone and aged for 11 months sur lie in 100% French oak, 33% new. The wine is lively and bright, framed by crunchy apple-skin tannins and blood orange acidity, yet balanced by a creamy core. Aromas and flavors of cherry, applewood smoke, clove, and Earl Grey tea unfold with lavish complexity, finishing long with a subtle sprinkling of white pepper. James and Kerry MacPhail started Tongue Dancer as a personal brand in 2012. All of their wines are produced in their winery built (in 2008) on their 1-acre property in Healdsburg.
After tasting the Lakeview Vineyard Pinot Noir made from the La Tâche clone, I was floored to find the same level of quality and pedigree in this 100% Pinot Noir sourced from Jim Pratt’s Sexton Road Vineyard. Composed of clones 777 and 114 and aged for 16 months sur lie in French oak (20% new), this wine is bold and dark-fruited, with layers of cherry and fig preserves framed by a deeply floral character and forest underbrush nuances that complement its generous core of ripe fruit. Firm tannins provide structure, while a tapestry of brown baking spices wraps around every inch of fruit, culminating in a smoky clove finish. The depth, texture, and balance here make for an utterly delectable Sonoma Pinot. Bravo! James and Kerry MacPhail started Tongue Dancer as a personal brand in 2012. All of their wines are produced in their winery built (in 2008) on their 1-acre property in Healdsburg.
This 100% Pinot Noir is sourced from Lakeview Vineyard, planted entirely to the La Tâche clone, and aged for 17 months in French oak, 33% new. The clone brings a darker fruit profile, with notes of blackberry and fig underscored by earthy depth and a rose-petal-driven florality that’s truly captivating. Aromas of wild herbs and bouquet garni add further intrigue. The palate is full-bodied and velvety in texture, finishing with savory layers of tobacco, leather, and dried wild herbs. Yum. James and Kerry MacPhail started Tongue Dancer as a personal brand in 2012. All of their wines are produced in their winery built (in 2008) on their 1-acre property in Healdsburg.
The Alana Vineyard, planted to Wente clones in the Russian River Valley, yields fruit of exceptional quality. Aged for 14 months in 100% French oak, 20% new, this exquisite Chardonnay is limited to just 145 cases. It displays ripe apple, pear, and apricot fruit drizzled with lemon cream and layered over crushed almonds. Full-flavored yet medium-bodied, it’s deeply enticing, with penetrating layers of flavor and crisp, citrusy acidity driving an enduring finish. Add in perfectly balanced oak spice, and you’ve got one heck of a white wine. Three Sticks Wines is a boutique, family-owned winery recognized for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Proprietor Bill Price III (nicknamed “Billy Three Sticks”) owns six vineyards in Sonoma County (including three Heritage vineyards: Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala).
This 100% Chardonnay from Durell Vineyard—crafted from Wente and Hyde clones—was aged for 14 months in 100% French oak, 21% new. Just 665 cases were produced. The wine exudes poise and elegance, balancing opulent flavors of ripe citrus, lemon oil, white acacia flowers, and crushed almonds with subtle toasty oak spice. Crisp acidity and bright apple-skin tannins bring lift and precision, resulting in a beautifully harmonious and striking white wine from this exceptional vineyard. Three Sticks Wines is a boutique, family-owned winery recognized for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Proprietor Bill Price III (nicknamed “Billy Three Sticks”) owns six vineyards in Sonoma County (including three Heritage vineyards: Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala).
