2018 Starkey Hill Pinot Noir - Russian River Valley
BEST PINOT NOIR (Winemaker Challenge Int'l Wine Comp.)
96-97 points (PinotFile)
"We tasted through five 2018 Pinot Noirs from barrel. Although recently sulfured, it was easy to recognize the pedigree of the wines. The 2018 Starkey Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir was the standout. Mark this down and grab some of this 96-97 point wine when it is released." - Rusty Gaffney
93 points (Sunset Magazine)
92 points (The Wine Advocate- RobertParker.com)
"Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2018 Pinot Noir Starkey Hill billows from the glass with fragrant notions of crushed Bing cherries, cranberries and fresh raspberries followed by hints of violets, milk chocolate, underbrush and dried Provence herbs. The palate is full-bodied and jam-packed with decadent red berry preserves layers with loads of invigorating herbal sparks and a plush texture, finishing long and perfumed. This was made from Clone 23 and Pommard and aged for 14 months in French oak, 20% new. 777 cases were made." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown
91 points (SteveHeimoff.com)
"This single-vineyard bottling is considerably more opulent and generous than En Garde’s regular ’18 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Made from grapes grown in Sebastopol, it shows a rich array of cherry, raspberry and date fruits, wrapped into silky tannins touched with a bit of new French oak. The acidity is fine and refreshing; the finish is spicy and dry. On the downside is some heat from alcohol of 15.4%. This is the sort of thing that will annoy some people while leaving others untroubled. I, personally, don’t care, if the tradeoff of high alcohol is richness. I doubt if there’s much ageworthiness here, but who cares? It’s delicious to drink now." - Steve Heimoff
2018 Pinot Noir - Petaluma Gap
91 points (Sommelier Challenge Int'l Wine Comp.)
2018 Rose of Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast
90 points (PinotFile)
"The grapes were harvested from several vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA. After crushing, the rosy juice was bled within the first hour to minimize skin contact. After a couple of days of settling, the juice on top was racked and the thick bottom juice discarded. After a long, cold fermentation, the wine sat on its lees to take on additional complexity before it was bottled February 7, 2019. · Delicate pink color in the glass. Aromas of honey and red maraschino cherry. Slightly creamy and completely dry, with flavors of strawberry, blood orange and pear. Nicely composed with upbeat acidity and a pleasing sense of harmony. This is the type of wine that would go well with almost any food." - Rusty Gaffney
90 points (JebDunnuck.com)
"The lightly colored, Provencal style 2018 Rosé Of Pinot Noir offers beautiful strawberry and white peach aromas as well as a medium-bodied, silky, seamless style on the palate. It's a beautiful rose that's also reasonably priced." - Jeb Dunnuck
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