West Sonoma Coast Tasting

Looking forward to the opening of City Winery DC, I was excited to taste some of my favorite Sonoma producers at this event. I didn't get to taste nearly enough, spend nearly enough time with the wines, or take enough notes, but an awesome time was still had.

• 2016 Ceritas Chardonnay Marena 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Bright and zesty aromas, flowers, lemon curd, peach. Rich but so zesty on the palate, lovely acid, crazy minerals. Lemon curd, honeycomb.

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• 2016 Ceritas Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Gorgeous aromatics of chalk dust, perfume, minerals, lemon curd, green apples. The palate is quite profound, with high acid yet tons of textural depth. Apricots, lemon curd, raw almond, saline. So complex and worthy of a long sleep.

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• 2012 Ceritas Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Great to see how this has aged, especially after tasting the newly-released 2016. This shows a lot of complexity, with almonds, honey and lemons on the nose. Precise, zesty, still so energetic and lively. Pretty lemon and apple fruit laced with almond, chalk dust, complex minerals. Gorgeous stuff, still plenty of time to go.

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• 2016 Ceritas Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Nose of chalk, limes and honey. Crisp acidity on the palate but nice weight as well. Complex lime, chalk, minerals and sea salt.

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• 2016 Ceritas Pinot Noir Costalina 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Nose of raspberries, kirsch, bright red flowers and some spice. Crisp and clean, easy-drinking appeal, but not simple. Lined up well with red apple and raspberries, flowers and spice. Early-drinking style but very well done.

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• 2016 Ceritas Pinot Noir Hellenthal Vineyard Old Shop Block 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Bright aromatics of raspberries, roses and spicy menthol and eucalyptus notes. Bright but juicy on the palate with tart red fruits (red apple, strawberries). Racy and floral with earth and spice tones. Could use some time to open up but intriguing at this stage for sure.

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• 2016 Ceritas Pinot Noir Occidental Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Very cool wine that has me excited for the future, now that winemaker John Raytek has a 100-year lease on the vineyard! Darker color from those small berries, this shows lovely black cherry aromas along with incense sticks, all sorts of spices and floral tones. Lovely texture, structured but elegant, so fresh. Raspberries, red and black cherries, lots of incense and herbs and spices. This should be gorgeous in five years.

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• 2015 DuMOL Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  So brisk and lively on the nose with lemons and sea salt. Crisp and lively on the palate as well, peaches, lemons, saline, honeycomb. Wish I had a bottle of this to share over a day or two and see what's really up.

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• 2015 DuMOL Pinot Noir Aidan Wildrose Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Savory aromas of peppers and broth on top of roses and bright cherries. Crisp, light yet serious with nice grip and lots of savory tones to the raspberries and tangy cherries. Lovely stuff, but best after a few years of sleep.

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• 2015 DuMOL Pinot Noir Connor Joy Road Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Loving the savory kick on the nose here. Plush but bright on the palate, structured well. Raspberries and strawberries laced with olives and pepper. Impressive range of flavors, this will age nicely.

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• 2014 DuMOL Syrah Jack Robert's Run 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Dark and savory aromas with black cherries and lots of pepper. Black cherries and smoke on the palate, structured nicely yet fresh, complex olive and warm spice notes.

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• 2012 DuMOL Syrah Jack Robert's Run 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Savory aromas of earth and pepper on top of rich black cherry fruit. Spicy, earthy, savory palate with rich blackberry fruit. Still time ahead but this is in a nice place right now.

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• 2016 Failla Chardonnay Estate Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  A fantastic young Chard. Rich depth of aromas but so fresh and salty, too. Tangy but plump, white peaches and lemon curd laced with crushed rocks, sea breeze, floral tones. I'd love to see how this develops over the next few years.

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• 2016 Failla Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Aromas of gushing cherries, spices, leather. Bright and elegant on the palate with lots of savory elements, earth, spice, leather. So pretty.

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• 2016 Failla Syrah Estate Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  So dark and spicy and savory on the nose. Grippy tannins but fresh acid on the palate. Black cherries and dark plums laced with savory spices, mushrooms and leather. Long time ahead here.

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• 2010 Failla Syrah Estate Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Holy olive brine aromas! Peppers, save and tart blackberries as well. Dusty and fresh and very tangy, a lighter style with the age and vintage, but I love this. Tangy black cherries, pepper, so many different types of olives. Northern Rhone homage game is on point here!

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• 2015 Gros Ventre Pinot Noir First Born 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Raspberries and spice on the nose. Juicy texture, fruit and easy-drinking with tangy red fruits and a nice mix of herbs and spices.

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• 2015 Gros Ventre Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  I love Anthill Farms' take on this vineyard, and Gros Ventre's is also excellent. Wow, the aromas of raspberries, cherries, pepper and even sea breeze are really cool. Tangy, crisp, bright, but lots of raspberries and cherry fruit. Complex elements of earth and pepper abound. This will have a lot more to show in a few years.

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• 2016 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Peachy, salty nose. Rich texture but lip-smacking acidity. Orange, lemon curd, honey, almond, sea salt. Beautiful, pretty, airy stuff.

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• 2014 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Juicy raspberries and cherries and roses. Pretty and bright but some nice grip as well. Tangy red fruits laced with pepper, roses and black tea.

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• 2014 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  I love this wine. Pretty aromatics of roses, strawberries, spiced tea. Crisp and focused with dusty tannins and bright red apple and raspberry fruit. I love the complex elements of spiced tea, cola, leather, earth, underlying minerality. Gorgeous.

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• 2015 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir Raschen Ridge 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Gushing aromas of cherries and roses. Tangy but built well with tannins. Raspberries, cherries, red apple peel, loaded with spices, cola and earth. A bit young, but beautiful.

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• 2011 Hirsch Vineyards Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Really cool to see how this has developed. Cherries and raspberry fruit aromas still going, but I get a lot of white pepper and beef broth. Elegant, tangy, dusty, brothy, with mushrooms and pepper, but still juicy with raspberry fruit. Not too many years ahead, but this is lovely, savory stuff right now.

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• 2015 Wayfarer Chardonnay Wayfarer Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  Saline, breezy, lemons on the nose. Lovely richness on the palate but so bright as well. Peaches, lemons, almond skin, this is complex and pretty, with plenty of time ahead.

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• 2014 Wayfarer Pinot Noir Golden Mean Wayfarer Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

  I love the savory spice elements on the nose, contrasting with the juicy cherries and cola. So zesty on the palate, nice grip and balance. Darker cherry fruit but still bright and floral, with delicious underlying spice elements.

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