2021 Pinot Sampler, Jul 2025 double

Pinot Noir from Sonoma County varies in its expression according to where it is grown. This wine exhibits the sassafras character of coastal Pinot Noirs, as well as the cola of those from the area between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa. Moderately structured, it has a central core of red fruits and lightly toasty oak that anchor these coastal and inland elements. It should be at its best two to six years after the vintage.

While grown primarily in the sandy Goldridge soil, which tends to produce Pinot Noir with flavors of red fruits and orange peel, this wine also illustrates some of the deep, brooding black cherry character generally found in the region’s clay soils. It was bottled without fining or filtration, and should age gracefully for a handful of years.

This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir illustrates the pretty, forward characteristics often found in this appellation. This unfined and unfiltered wine exhibits sassafras, cola and red fruit characters with a perky, long finish. It should reach a nice balance between youth and experience at three to five years of age.

From the cooler area of the Russian River Valley, this Pinot Noir exhibits the characteristic flavors of Green Valley wine grapes — bright red fruits with a soft earthiness and elegance. The wine was made from a single clone — Dijon 777 — grown on a hillside block in Goldridge/West Sebastopol loam soils, and bottled without fining of filtration.

We would never be able to forgive ourselves if we didn’t set aside some Pinot Noir from this one single vineyard block and bottle it separately. Both complex and ‘sneaky,’ it possesses our favorite qualities of this variety and region. While seductive in the short term, it should age magnificently due to its balance and gently taut, structural core.

Joan and Lew Platt planted these vines for us to work with on their property overlooking the town of Bodega. A very cool site with intelligently selected plant material that is well farmed is a Pinot Noir maker’s dream. Red, black and blue fruit character with great structure, minerality and complexity are the result.