Sampler Pack,

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.

This wine is a synthesis of sites where wildlife and viticulture meet at the edge of civilization. From both the far eastern and western edges of Sonoma County, the wine speaks of more of this general wildness than of a specific variety or site. It should pair well with the types of foods found in the area as well: game, flavorful mushrooms and the like.

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.