2010 Sojourn Pinots

Has anybody tasted any of these? Offer coming in a couple of weeks on them, along with their 2009 G3 cab, which I will definitely be buying. TIA

Not yet, but I will be tasting these with Craig shortly and will post notes once I do.

Anyone know when the Sojourn Road Show comes to Orange County? I wasn’t able to attend last year, but hopefully will this time around.

I’ll see him Saturday and ask.

I’d love to hear any input on both the wines themselves and any road show hitting Chicago again. I know I’ll be buying the Home Ranch cab and most likely the Rodgers pinot, but would like more insight into the others.

I will try them all at Falltacular and post notes by Sunday. This release has my favorites of their line-up.

The first Sojourn scores are just in and located here -

Congrats Craig. See you tomorrow.

Scores? I don’t need no freakin scores to tell me Sojourn wines are delicious. They’re my go to Pinot Noirs. I got in on the mailing list at the very beginning, after tasting these wines at Russell Bevans place a few years ago. Further disclaimer, I’ve tasted with Erich and Craig at their tasting room the past 3 years, so even this rookie knows what he’s talking about.

Craig, will you be offering case pack discounts and free shipping?

Time to add these to Berserkers Day

very excited to try these. don’t forget about the cabs.

I promised to post notes after tasting through the new 2010 pinots and 2009 cabernets, so here goes. Please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors!

2010 Sojourn Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - $39
Spice, forest floor, mushrooms, cherry, cola, are present on the nose. The palate is bright, dominated by sour cherry and pomegranate. This wine has a significant “lively” acidity to it that needs time to settle and come together.

2010 Sojourn Cellars Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard - $48
Nose of darker fruits -Currants, black cherry, forest floor, and exotic spices. Layers of flavor roll across the tongue, with a hint of acidity on the back end. Minerality, almost slatey edge to it. Really great with thin layers of caved aged gruyere. Needs 1-2 years in bottle to show its stuff. This wine cries out to be paired with food.

2010 Sojourn Cellars Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard - $48
Dark fruit, complex and somewhat mysterious nose, which is the opposite of Sonoma Coast and Rodgers Creek, which are brighter. This is dark. Layers of flavor alternating between red and blue fruits, cola, etc. Lingers beautifully with a full mid-palate presence, good balance, and a nice long finish. Very nice to drink now, but with the stuffing to age and further develop for those with patience. This could be great.

2010 Sojourn Cellars Pinot Noir Sangiacamo Vineyard - $48
Smells like Sangiacamo! (This is a good thing – very nice aromatics). There’s something about this wine that is so distinctive and easily recognized if you’ve had it before and 2010 is no different. Silky smooth ( no rough edges here) and full-bodied, blanketing the taste buds with layers and layers of flavor. In a word, “yummy”. Terrific juice.

One of the things I appreciate about the Sojourn pinot program is how different each of the wines are. They clearly express their vineyard and enable me to, from a single purveyor, buy a mix of pinots that allow me to create great pairings with a wide variety of foods.

Now, on to the cabs…

2009 Sojourn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Home Ranch Vineyard - $39
More tannic and structured than the GIII. The nose is somewhat restrained, maybe even a bit reticent, with a slightly medicinal edge. On the palate thou, this wine shows off a really complete blend of fruit, structure and tannins. I got a wonderful blueberry element that made me comment on how it reminded me of a baby-Spottswoode. Considering the price, this is an absolute steal! In my opinion, the best Home Ranch to date. Seamless with an edge that has these wonderful layers of depth. Enjoyable now with a short 2-3 hour decant or age it to your liking. At this price, you can buy plenty to experiment with!

2009 Sojourn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard – Napa Valley - $95
In the past (2008), I have used the descriptor “slutty” to describe this wine. For 2009, this is less “slutty” and a bit more refined, which I like. Nose of red berries, spice, menthol. There is depth to the nose. On the palate, the 2009 shows typical Rutherford red fruits with a hint of dust. Ample oak treatment, but not overdone. More structured and less “in-your-face” than the previous version. Really nice now with a short 2-3 hour decant or a good candidate for short term cellaring (5-7 years).

Cab confession – I have never jumped on the Home Ranch Cabernet before, but will this year. An amazing QPR at $38.

I was somewhat apprehensive about the 2010’s given some of the discussion around the challenges of the vintage, but there is no doubt that the Sojourn team did a nice job dealing with the curveballs Mother Nature provided and turned out some excellent product for us Winos to enjoy.

Here are some speed notes on the pinots. By the time I got upstairs after my serving shift the cab’s were toast.

  • 2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Ridgetop Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/15/2012)
    This was my favorite of the line up and drinking perfectly right now. It was more restained and best balanced at this age. Lacked the tartness of the Gap and was considerable light in color swirling the glass. Elegant would best decribe this wine. yummy. (93 pts.)
  • 2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/15/2012)
    I’d agree with Bruce61 comments regarding its more burdandy style with a touch of earth and mushrooms but unlike the other '10, cherry is the predominate fruit on the palate. It fact, it’s bright cherry which end in medium finish. (92 pts.)
  • 2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/15/2012)
    Very dark color with a purple hue which is noticable compared to the others from Sojourn in the line up. Primarily a tart strawberry with cherry notes for flavoring. Medium finish. Very solid. (91 pts.)
  • 2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/15/2012)
    This tasted much like the Gap, probably couldn’t tell the difference blind, but with a reduced tartness which I prefer. Strawberry fruit is the focus. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Chris, I spoke with Craig. Just PM/email him if you’re interested.

Jeff/Brig, thanks for the nice notes. Chris, sorry no OC event this Spring - we just couldn’t get it to fit in calendar-wise with the other CA events.

Had the 09 Ridgetop over vacation in the Islands. It is really good right now. Not sure i’ll sit on the rest of mine too much longer. In a really good spot.