TN: Sojourn 2017 Spring Release Pinots

I appreciate the early ‘look see’ on these. I may have ot actually BUY this year.

SOJOURN 2017 SPRING RELEASE - (12/24/2016-1/13/2017)

• 2015 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (12/24/2016)
  Pretty nose of black raspberry and black cherry. This is dense and chewy with nice depth. This is bright and fragrant, even young. Great mouth-feel with texture that punches well above its price, this has some nice notes of Asian spice and vanilla… Big bold tannins with nice balance. Very consistent year in and year out, this always shows well and a definite cross-section of all the vineyard designates from the year. Remains a great QPR. (90 pts.)
• 2015 Sojourn Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (12/29/2016)
  This is dark; fragrant nose of macerated black cherries and sweet black plum skins. Quite beautiful, as usual. Palate shows its youthful playfulness of the deeply layered black-red fruits I have come to associate the Rodgers bottling with, which by the way is one of my yearly favorites. Somewhat chewy and dense with a peaked acidity level that should flesh out wonderfully in 2-3 years. Overall, the balance is quite nice for a wine so young. It’s really is not fair to drink these so young but this is for science and I have no hard rules to which guide me. If you coax this one, you can actually find some orange-peel and Asian spices buried deep within. The finish is long and even more structured than the palate in that it ‘metamorphizes’ itself for many minutes after it has gone down the gullet and I now sense some blackberries, boysenberries and soft cardamom. Always a very interesting wine, you will be thrilled in a few.
  Night two: this has opened up wonderfully as I knew it would. Still dark and fragrant but now fleshed out and even unctuous. Pretty black raspberries and near sour cherries make this s still interesting but in a whole new way tonight. Tonight 94 (92 pts.)
• 2015 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/11/2017)
  Pure Sonoma Coast nose with some hi-toned cherry, sassafras, cola and red currant. Palate shows a beautifully delineated textural quality I really love; it’s suave and refined while being a bit rambunctious and sassy. Mouth-feel is precise and balance lithe. Tannins fully controlled and actually compared to some of it’s siblings, notably Rodgers ans Sonoma Coast, this has quite the ‘here & now’. Not a single rough edge to be found, this is just awesome. Finish is long and accurate and true. I would not hesitate to open another next month but would be well served to save for at least a year, maybe less, maybe this summer, maybe on my deck. This is Sonoma Schnizzle Squared. (93 pts.)
• 2015 Sojourn Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/13/2017)
  Pretty nose of blue and red fruits with a wonderful creamy quality I truly dig.Palate shows a super refined reddish fruited Pinot Noir with so much complication going on. Intense red rapberries with hints of soft blueberry pie and a note of C.Howards gum (violet) which always gets my attention. Tannins have a tremendous amount of layers and acidity is of the bright persuasion and this is too hard not to drink up as it goes down sooooo smoothly I liken it to candy, but in a good, nay… GREAT way. A mouth-feel that defies gravity and conventional wisdom, I think the 10% WC really adds a dimension to this as it certainly has a certain something. This Gap’s Crown could quite possibly be the best Gap’s Crown I have ever encountered. Long and true finish just puts the cherry on ts cake and this cake is just amazing. Lithe, fragrant, glossy and elegant, this oozes class and goodness at every turn.
  Footnote:This wine really quite special. Try as I do to find fault with any wine I drink, I just come up with nothing here and as a matter of fact, if I had to find one flaw on this is its ability to disappear from my glass and then my decanter much too fast, it’s that f-ing good. (94 pts.)

The 2015 Spring Pinot Noirs from Sojourn hit the mark and then some. I will be buying the Gaps and Sangiacomo.
Posted from CellarTracker

I felt much the same way Mike! TN’s 2017 Sojourn Spring Release Wines - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers Except I’ll probably purchase my usual case purchase per offer across the offering.

Same here, Mike. I was really taken by the Rodgers Creek pinot!!

Bud, in the last 3 years or so the Rodgers was always my favorite. This year I am leaning into the Sangiacomo and Gap’s Crown.

There weren’t any losers in that bunch!!! I have a suspicion that the Sonoma Coast will be singing in a couple of years.

Since I’ve been drinking Gaps (6 or so vintages), that’s always been my favorite. Notes to follow.

In for a 6-pack. Ordered last fall, but haven’t popped any bottles yet. I hope they are good

I’ll be in for at least a case!!

Me too.

I got to taste a few as well. I’ll try to pull some notes together. Gap’s has always been my favorite, but this year was really impressed with the Rodgers.

Has anyone tasted the 2014 Home Ranch Cab?

Yes. I posted a TN in the 2017 Sojourn release TNs thread.

I visited Sonoma and Napa last week and had the opportunity to taste thru the upcoming Sojourn spring release. I took notes and checked them against my notes from the last few years. I was struck by the consistency of the wines from year to year. As I think about the 2016 fall release wines and these wines, I get the impression that the wines continue to improve. As new vineyards are added, I think it’s interesting that each one is distinctive and adds something to the portfolio.

I should probably note that I consider Craig to be a friend and I’ve been a long-time customer. Anyway, on to the wines:

2015 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: Very dark color, dark, rich fruits. There is a richness in the mid and back palate, but not the creamy texture I think of as Sojourn’s house style. This is darker and more brooding. After an hour of air, there is more black cherry and baking spice. The texture has mellowed and is rounder. Long finish. Pretty consistent and good value for CA Pinot.

2015 Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir: A bit lighter in color than the Sonoma Coast. Intense aromatics of spice on the nose. Richness and roundness on the back palate, but a creamier texture than the Sonoma Coast. Lighter red fruit profile, but some forest floor, earth, and mushroom. I think it needs some more bottle time to round out and finish. Always one of my favorites.

2015 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir: Consistent color as compared to the Rodgers Creek. Red cherry on the nose and in the mouth. Tremendous expression of purity of fruit. A lovely, beautiful wine. Gentle, rich, and voluptuous. A long finish. Wow. Obviously, I really like this one. Over time, I think this wine has evolved to be more like the Gaps in terms of fruit profile, finish, and overall experience.

2015 Gaps Crown Pinot Noir: The aromatics of the wine explode out of the glass. Sweet cherry fruit on the nose and palate. This wine always gets the big scores and I’m sure this one will too. A touch of tartness of the back palate interrupts the hedonism from the sweet fruit. I like my Pinot with some earth and mushroom. This doesn’t have any of that. If you, or your SO, like big, expressive, bold Pinots, you will love this wine. Pretty consistent with the 2014.

2014 Home Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark wine with a lot of spice on the nose. Dark fruit, vanilla and cassis dominate. A bit of acid and tannin grip on the back palate. It comes across as a bit more angular and precise than in the past. Delicious wine that is ready to drink right out of the gate. It would be interesting to do a vertical of this as my impression is that it has gotten better each year.

2014 Beckstoffer Vineyard George III Cabernet Sauvignon: Smooth. Blue fruits and milk chocolate. Elegant. Some dusty tannins on the mid and back palate. Long finish. It strikes me that this vintage would benefit from some bottle time more than the prior vintages. As always, a lovely, elegant wine.