WOW, and I mean WOW! I recently ordered several bottles of the 2012 as a "library wine" from Sojourn (it was the only vintage of Ridgetop since its inception that I had missed adding to our cellar). This wine was outstanding. Everything is in order. Pretty cool that with a Cali wine that's eight years out from vintage, it was still giving off that classic forest floor funk, but in sort of an elegant way. Beautiful and deep ruby red. On taste the robust red fruit flavors were at the forefront, with savory flavors and acidity all around and supporting the richness. There's a reason I purchase so much Sojourn: I believe they are the best producer of pinot noir in California. Many thanks to Craig and Erich, and the rest of the Sojourn team. Cheers!
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Deep red, hints of purple. Brooding, earthy reveals some ripe cherry hints of bramble, some spice and a whiff of leather. Tannins integrated and drinking nicely now.
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Nose is herbal, floral with a hint of smoke. Ripe black cherry dominates the palate along with some orange orange peel. Sweet fruit which I’m guessing was bigger a few years back. Medium + bodied. Shows a nice beam of acidity ruining through it.
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Served with salmon baked over orange and fennel; the Sojourn Ridgetop is my go to pinot with this dish; the 2012 is more subdued than the other vintages by Sojourn from Ridgetop. Muted cherry, notes of blood orange, sage, with a touch of earthiness. Had the 2014 Ridgetop this same evening, and thought the 2014 was richer, bigger, fuller and fruitier.
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I love a Sojourn Pinot Noir with some age on it. A hint of cherry and spice. Beautiful color. Smooth and elegant. Dinner for me was filet mignon. My wife had salmon. This wine went well with both.
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This is a more extracted style of PN typical of California with 14.4% abv. It has a baked red and black cherry fruits, some vanilla, with smooth tannins. Drinking well now.
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A bit tannic with tobacco notes. Strange for a pinot. Dark fruited. Not entirely unpleasant however not an easy to drink pinot without food. This wine would hold up well with steak.
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Very pretty almost immediately after opening with lots of bright, spicy, red fruit, with good depth and a midlength finish. To my tastes, this is drinking beautifully tonight.
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Served with a dinner of miso salmon with orange and fennel (a recipe included in a Sojourn newsletter, maybe 18 months ago, with a suggestion to pair with the Ridgetop single vineyard. Oh boy! Great example of the food elevating the wine and the wine elevating the food. The wine has beautiful flavors of cherry and orange, with hints of anise, smoke and subtle spice, without any feature overwhelming the other characteristics. Opened bottle about 30 minutes prior to serving. The first taste was very good and went up from there.
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I loved this wine on release, and it still has a lot going for it in late '16. Rich fruit balanced by quite a lot of acid. But it has gone flabby - not lean or firm, nor many layers underneath. I hope this is just a dumb phase, but it tastes more like a decline.
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750ml; PnP; Transluscent ruby color, not bricking; Nose of cherry and other red fruits, a bit of spice, and slight earthiness/decaying leaves. Bold cherry, raspberry, and current fruit flavors with a smooth texture, small tannins in the background only, and not much heat. Nice drinking wine.
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Aerated and decanted 30 minutes. Fully open at that point. Big pinot with lots of fruit including cherry, currants, strawberry and raspberry. Complex with some spice notes. Moderate tannin. As a couple of people have mentioned, some cabernet characteristics. Only wish I had more bottles.
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Drank this at Restaurant North in Armonk NY. On pop 'n pour, there was some sweetness (cherries) to the wine. A little spice. It's very smooth and elegant right away. The color was a cross between pinot and cabernet. It was pretty. Cherry nose. After 30 minutes, there was a perfume nose. My wife described this as fruity, but not in a fruit bomb way. She meant cherry and strawberries. After 60 minutes, the wine got even smoother than it was on opening. I've been drinking Ridgetop for a long time, so I'm partial to it. I'll save my last bottle for 2017. I've found Sojourn pinot noirs really improve with age (if you can keep your hands off them).
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This is the best Pinot Noir I've ever tasted. Huge, bold and wonderful. It's bouquet of cherry, spice and earthy notes leads into a beautifully silky texture. The acidity is near perfect with ripe cherry, some red raspberry and hint of strawberry and spice. This wine has more than enough structure to stand up to most Cabs and has an extremely long and full finish that lasts and lasts. It begs you to bring your nose back to the glass and it is hard to avoid taking another sip. A spectacular wine experience.
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concentrated flavors, provocative aromatics, and silky texture as they struggle to grow. This wine offers explosive aromas of red and tropical fruits and burnt orange overlaying a bold strength and complexity at its core.
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tried this for a second time. It was a totally different experience. Great blue fruit and smooth - did not have the high alcohol (hot) feeling this time. Really enjoyed this wine. Good tannins and some glycerin.
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App 4/5 pretty color, very slightly cloudy Aroma 13/15 delicate aromas of slight mushroom/earth,smoky(bacon?) red fruit hint of floral(lavender?) Taste 17/20 orange peel, lime, mild cheese, broccoli, raspberry, good acidity, not tart, vanilla smooth finish lingering orange and raspberry very delicate/feminine some herb of mint family: lavendar or marjoram Longevity 8/10 14.4% alc. although it doesn't taste high in alc, lovely acidity.
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This seems very young to me. I really enjoy Sojourn Pinot Noir, but this one is just good (right now), but not great (yet?). The nose is floral and the taste is tart cherries, strawberries, and herbs (like sage - noted in a prior tasting note). There is a moderately long finish, but to me it is lots of glycerin and hot - alcohol (even on the second day). I am holding my other bottles for a while to see what happens.
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Sojourn Tasting Solon Visit (Sonoma Sq.): Tasting room. One of my favorites of the tasting. From a choice vineyard farmed by the Valdez family and shared with top Sonoma producers. Lovely, full aromatics - Red cranberry, grapefruit zest and herbs. Palate delivers a complex flavor profile echoing the cranberry and citrus from the nose while adding more forest floor and herb medley. Lifted with good acidic edge married to plush fruit. 91-93
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WoW Grand Tasting - Sebastapol. No detailed notes but very nice. Wife and I both looked at each other and said this is a good one. Slightly preferred to 12 Silver Eagle. One of favorites of the tasting.
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Dark magenta visually. About 60% opaque. This wine absolutely leaps from the glass. Strawberries, violets, orange oil and supporting woody aromatics. Lively on the palate. There's a brash vibrancy to this wine that's tremendously appealing. Kind of like a youthful prodigy where you're wondering how great they might become. 93+ for now with room for improvement with integration.
14.4% Alcohol 450 Cases Produced $59 Release Price Sample for review
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Chicago Pinot Days (Navy Pier - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Lots of ripe and fat black fruit, very easy to enjoy. Very good fruit, perhaps slightly less dense, slightly less nuanced vs the Rodgers. Still good.
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Pinot Days 2014 (Navy Pier - Chicago, IL): Wow. We all loved this baby. This will age for a decade or two with ease. Big mouth filling gobs of blue fruit. Blueberry pie, rich milk chocolate. This is a Cab lover's Pinot at its best.
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Much earthier, mushroomy, and darker than the previous wines. Darker color and more intense aromatics. This will need some time to develop, but it has all the typical Sojourn characteristics with fruit purity, long finish, and the round mouthfeel. Still very young. This may need some time to come around. I probably won't let it last that long though.
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11/14/2020 - kennyd Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOW, and I mean WOW! I recently ordered several bottles of the 2012 as a "library wine" from Sojourn (it was the only vintage of Ridgetop since its inception that I had missed adding to our cellar). This wine was outstanding. Everything is in order. Pretty cool that with a Cali wine that's eight years out from vintage, it was still giving off that classic forest floor funk, but in sort of an elegant way. Beautiful and deep ruby red. On taste the robust red fruit flavors were at the forefront, with savory flavors and acidity all around and supporting the richness. There's a reason I purchase so much Sojourn: I believe they are the best producer of pinot noir in California. Many thanks to Craig and Erich, and the rest of the Sojourn team. Cheers!
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4/11/2020 - Andrew H wrote: 92 Points
Deep red, hints of purple. Brooding, earthy reveals some ripe cherry hints of bramble, some spice and a whiff of leather. Tannins integrated and drinking nicely now.
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11/29/2019 - ScottGoodwin Likes this wine:
Nose is herbal, floral with a hint of smoke. Ripe black cherry dominates the palate along with some orange orange peel. Sweet fruit which I’m guessing was bigger a few years back. Medium + bodied. Shows a nice beam of acidity ruining through it.
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11/26/2019 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served with salmon baked over orange and fennel; the Sojourn Ridgetop is my go to pinot with this dish; the 2012 is more subdued than the other vintages by Sojourn from Ridgetop. Muted cherry, notes of blood orange, sage, with a touch of earthiness. Had the 2014 Ridgetop this same evening, and thought the 2014 was richer, bigger, fuller and fruitier.
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11/17/2019 - MillerRoad Likes this wine:
This is in a really nice place
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5/4/2019 - dhammer53 wrote: 92 Points
I love a Sojourn Pinot Noir with some age on it. A hint of cherry and spice. Beautiful color. Smooth and elegant. Dinner for me was filet mignon. My wife had salmon. This wine went well with both.
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3/10/2019 - StainedGlass wrote: 90 Points
This is a more extracted style of PN typical of California with 14.4% abv. It has a baked red and black cherry fruits, some vanilla, with smooth tannins. Drinking well now.
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2/28/2019 - PSUSteve wrote: 93 Points
PnP. Time continues to be good to this wine. Cherry and cranberry and some spice on the backend.
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4/6/2018 - The Count of Notre Dame Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit tannic with tobacco notes. Strange for a pinot. Dark fruited. Not entirely unpleasant however not an easy to drink pinot without food. This wine would hold up well with steak.
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11/11/2017 - wendyinwlv wrote: 92 Points
Yum!! Fits my idea of a great pinot. light, cherries, hints of tobacco.
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9/19/2017 - mmcdds wrote: 91 Points
Very pretty almost immediately after opening with lots of bright, spicy, red fruit, with good depth and a midlength finish. To my tastes, this is drinking beautifully tonight.
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7/29/2017 - wine4lux Likes this wine: 93 Points
Served with a dinner of miso salmon with orange and fennel (a recipe included in a Sojourn newsletter, maybe 18 months ago, with a suggestion to pair with the Ridgetop single vineyard. Oh boy! Great example of the food elevating the wine and the wine elevating the food. The wine has beautiful flavors of cherry and orange, with hints of anise, smoke and subtle spice, without any feature overwhelming the other characteristics. Opened bottle about 30 minutes prior to serving. The first taste was very good and went up from there.
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5/24/2017 - mgstull Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slow ox for an hour. Cherry, cranberry, tea, spice,in a now smooth and lovely package. Mid weight Pinot with elegance but stuffing at the same time.
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5/12/2017 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very enjoyable with a bit more of a spicy bite than other Sojourn pinots. Drinking nicely now.
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10/21/2016 - wendyinwlv wrote: 88 Points
Lots of spice ( a little warm). Will wait a year to see what changes it makes. It was enjoyable though!
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10/19/2016 - LesPaul wrote: 88 Points
I loved this wine on release, and it still has a lot going for it in late '16. Rich fruit balanced by quite a lot of acid. But it has gone flabby - not lean or firm, nor many layers underneath. I hope this is just a dumb phase, but it tastes more like a decline.
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9/11/2016 - BornToRhone Likes this wine: 92 Points
750ml; PnP; Transluscent ruby color, not bricking; Nose of cherry and other red fruits, a bit of spice, and slight earthiness/decaying leaves. Bold cherry, raspberry, and current fruit flavors with a smooth texture, small tannins in the background only, and not much heat. Nice drinking wine.
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9/3/2016 - comlaw Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aerated and decanted 30 minutes. Fully open at that point. Big pinot with lots of fruit including cherry, currants, strawberry and raspberry. Complex with some spice notes. Moderate tannin. As a couple of people have mentioned, some cabernet characteristics. Only wish I had more bottles.
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7/16/2016 - PSUSteve wrote: 92 Points
PnP. Some time in the bottle has added some spice and earth to the dark fruit.
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9/14/2015 - mgstull Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP. Cherry, raspberry, tart cranberry tea, and earth. Nice full bodied Pinot.
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9/12/2015 - dhammer53 wrote: 93 Points
Drank this at Restaurant North in Armonk NY. On pop 'n pour, there was some sweetness (cherries) to the wine. A little spice. It's very smooth and elegant right away. The color was a cross between pinot and cabernet. It was pretty. Cherry nose. After 30 minutes, there was a perfume nose. My wife described this as fruity, but not in a fruit bomb way. She meant cherry and strawberries. After 60 minutes, the wine got even smoother than it was on opening.
I've been drinking Ridgetop for a long time, so I'm partial to it. I'll save my last bottle for 2017. I've found Sojourn pinot noirs really improve with age (if you can keep your hands off them).
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6/25/2015 - shaferguy91 wrote: 92 Points
No decant. Very enjoyable.
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5/26/2015 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1 hour.
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4/3/2015 - tgang Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is the best Pinot Noir I've ever tasted. Huge, bold and wonderful. It's bouquet of cherry, spice and earthy notes leads into a beautifully silky texture. The acidity is near perfect with ripe cherry, some red raspberry and hint of strawberry and spice. This wine has more than enough structure to stand up to most Cabs and has an extremely long and full finish that lasts and lasts. It begs you to bring your nose back to the glass and it is hard to avoid taking another sip. A spectacular wine experience.
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2/3/2015 - tharty16 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice finish
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12/31/2014 - Mark Goldstein wrote:
Wofford party and friend
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12/19/2014 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 91 Points
concentrated flavors, provocative aromatics, and silky texture as they struggle to grow. This wine offers explosive aromas of red and tropical fruits and burnt orange overlaying a bold strength and complexity at its core.
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12/11/2014 - Mtnmd1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really enjoyed right from first pour. Held up well and continued to evolve second night
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12/2/2014 - shaferguy91 wrote: 91 Points
No decant.
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11/25/2014 - Cuellar's Cellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
Huge pinot. Very nice notes with hint of cherry on the pallet.
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11/1/2014 - newkid17 Likes this wine: 92 Points
tried this for a second time. It was a totally different experience. Great blue fruit and smooth - did not have the high alcohol (hot) feeling this time. Really enjoyed this wine. Good tannins and some glycerin.
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10/30/2014 - gailkend Likes this wine: 92 Points
App 4/5 pretty color, very slightly cloudy
Aroma 13/15 delicate aromas of slight mushroom/earth,smoky(bacon?) red fruit hint of floral(lavender?)
Taste 17/20 orange peel, lime, mild cheese, broccoli, raspberry, good acidity, not tart, vanilla smooth finish lingering orange and raspberry
very delicate/feminine some herb of mint family: lavendar or marjoram
Longevity 8/10 14.4% alc. although it doesn't taste high in alc, lovely acidity.
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10/23/2014 - newkid17 wrote: 89 Points
This seems very young to me. I really enjoy Sojourn Pinot Noir, but this one is just good (right now), but not great (yet?). The nose is floral and the taste is tart cherries, strawberries, and herbs (like sage - noted in a prior tasting note). There is a moderately long finish, but to me it is lots of glycerin and hot - alcohol (even on the second day). I am holding my other bottles for a while to see what happens.
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9/28/2014 - Nanda wrote:
Sojourn Tasting Solon Visit (Sonoma Sq.): Tasting room. One of my favorites of the tasting. From a choice vineyard farmed by the Valdez family and shared with top Sonoma producers. Lovely, full aromatics - Red cranberry, grapefruit zest and herbs. Palate delivers a complex flavor profile echoing the cranberry and citrus from the nose while adding more forest floor and herb medley. Lifted with good acidic edge married to plush fruit. 91-93
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9/27/2014 - td1836 wrote: 93 Points
Deeper red/purple color. Bold strength. Blood orange, big, red fruits. Full mouthfeel. Bigger and darker than the Sangiacomo and Wohler.
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9/4/2014 - PSUSteve Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pop and pour from a 375. Big, bold with dark black cherry and a long finish. 91 now but with time most likely higher.
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9/4/2014 - mgstull Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red-purple. Thick mouthfeel with lots of glycerin. Dense black cherry and sage flavors with a long finish. Needs additional time.
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8/2/2014 - yeti575rider wrote: 92 Points
WoW Grand Tasting - Sebastapol. No detailed notes but very nice. Wife and I both looked at each other and said this is a good one. Slightly preferred to 12 Silver Eagle. One of favorites of the tasting.
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7/25/2014 - RobertDwyer wrote: 93 Points
Dark magenta visually. About 60% opaque. This wine absolutely leaps from the glass. Strawberries, violets, orange oil and supporting woody aromatics. Lively on the palate. There's a brash vibrancy to this wine that's tremendously appealing. Kind of like a youthful prodigy where you're wondering how great they might become. 93+ for now with room for improvement with integration.
14.4% Alcohol
450 Cases Produced
$59 Release Price
Sample for review
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4/26/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Chicago Pinot Days (Navy Pier - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. Lots of ripe and fat black fruit, very easy to enjoy. Very good fruit, perhaps slightly less dense, slightly less nuanced vs the Rodgers. Still good.
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4/26/2014 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Pinot Days 2014 (Navy Pier - Chicago, IL): Wow. We all loved this baby. This will age for a decade or two with ease. Big mouth filling gobs of blue fruit.
Blueberry pie, rich milk chocolate. This is a Cab lover's Pinot at its best.
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4/9/2014 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
West of West Wine Festival (City Winery, Chicago, IL): Sea breeze, linen. Fresh raspberries. Excellent full mid palate. Very clean balanced finish. Excellent wine. Highly recommended.
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4/9/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 92 Points
West of West - Chicago. Nice pinot with red fruit and forest floor. Beautiful.
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9/6/2013 - irish87 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Much earthier, mushroomy, and darker than the previous wines. Darker color and more intense aromatics. This will need some time to develop, but it has all the typical Sojourn characteristics with fruit purity, long finish, and the round mouthfeel. Still very young. This may need some time to come around. I probably won't let it last that long though.
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