Isn’t that in the Sonoma Coast?
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Yes and I it was approved as its own AVA in 2012 so obviously would not be in the original survey. Just surprised it has not come up yet as some of the wines produced there are fantastic, including an absolute favorite of this board: Marcassin.
I had some Knez and Ant Hill farms that I really enjoyed… I had a few different Savoy vineyard offerings that i didn’t dig. I’m far from an expert, but I pretty much just drink domestic pinot from Sonoma Coast or Sta Rita Hills… a little brighter fruit hits me better
Santa Cruz Mountains was my vote but Russian River Valley a close second.
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I was going to suggest Oregon.
Sonoma Coast has been my favorite lately. Boheme, Paul Matthews, some KB coast pinots, some Siduri, Occidental, the list goes on and on. Santa Lucia Highlands can be magnificent. Especially for those who love gorgeous fruit, over the more tertiary qualities. Wrath, Lucia, Morgan, Pisoni, and Roar. Especially the Soberane’s, Rosella’s, Gary’s, Tondre, Double L, and Pisoni vineyards.
Lastly I recently discovered San Luis Obispo pinot, on a trip up there. Also went to Paso Robles, and visited Tablas Creek, among others. El Lugar was the big discovery of the trip. Really excellent pinot, and good early drinking wine too.
This is stunning Pinot. I was unfamiliar with SLO pinot, other than some Bien Nacido single vineyard pinots, before stopping at their tasting room in SLO. I was stopped in my tracks by their wine. Outstanding sources for coastal single vineyard juice, and excellent wine making by Coby Parker. Many kudos to him and the team. The tasting room is in a warehouse complex. Do not be put off by that. I like that kind of thing, personally. A very small winery operation.
This Spanish Springs and Bien Nacido wines wines were bright, the fruit was gorgeous, they both had a lift, with a very silky mouthfeel. Sweet berries, very pretty floral notes, some tea and spice, and plenty of depth. Really an outstanding effort. Though they were very young (2021), they were still approachable. I bought some, and am looking forward to trying in a couple of years.
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Sonoma Coast rivals RRV. Some truly amazing wines.
Flawed poll. I haven’t had a lot of California PN that really impresses me compared to other regions, but chief among the ones that have are Cabot and Briceland PN’s from Humboldt County.
Hey MMarcellus,
Thanks for the mention. Even though it’s in my interest, I agree that Humboldt County should appear at least on a list that complete.
Edit: Question asks about AVA’s. Humboldt is not an AVA. Keep in mind, not all of the good grapes are grown in AVA’s. Political lines are appellations too.
I agree. Most often they are a disappointment, and I tend to avoid them, if there is a choice of single vineyards. Just say no to Anderson Valley!!
For me, Sonoma Coast is at the top of the heap. Then RRV. Then SLH. Then SRH. I do not have alot of experience with Santa Cruz wines. There seems to be a very limited selection, and the prices are up there.
What are you drinking from Anderson Valley that you don’t like?
I think there is a lot of good and a lot of not good coming from all of the Cali AVAs and my personal favorites come from various AVAs…all have more to do with producers than the AVA though
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I do agree that it is much more about the producer, than the AVA. The KB Anderson seems less impressive than many of their other single vineyards. I believe they use Cerise. I like Black Kite alot, but prefer their others, over the Ferrington. Same applies to the Selyem. I have not tried the Whitcraft Morning Dew. Not the Failla, Littoria, Peay or the Radio Cateau from Savoy. So, either I am missing out, or this is a question of my flavor profile.
Somehow missed this poll back in time. Another for Sonoma Coast. Cellar weighting in CT tells the tale to start. Strong affinity for Petaluma Gap. Gap’s Crown Vineyard influenced many of my formative years and today.
Calling out Petaluma Gap or West Sonoma Coast or Sta Rita Hills or Santa Cruz Mountains makes a lot of comparative sense. They all have a few thousand planted acres.
Sonoma Coast is a half million acres that includes a handful of other ones and has about as much continuity in growing conditions as my nominee, California AVA. I would go for the North Coast AVA but would miss out on the sta rita and Santa Cruz, so go big or go home!
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Well yeah KB is quite far from my tastes. But the wines from Peay and Littorai there tend to match well with my tastes and are up there for some of the better AV Pinots I’ve had over the years.
Cerise vineyard tends to be tough as nails early on and I am just now drinking various 2012/13s from Cerise. I don’t know much about KB Cerise, but they canceled all the contracts and ripped up about half of the total vineyard area and replanted it back when they bought it. So who knows what the wine is made up of or how it compares to “old cerise”.
I had to put one on the board for Cienega Valley.
Quality, History, and Terroir at Eden Rift. Love what Christian Pillsbury is doing next to Calera.
I agree the Sonoma Coast AVA is enormous. But, out of 500,000 acres, only 4,700 are planted with vines. There is now a newly approved appellation, which might help. It is the West Sonoma Coast AVA. Only wines from the 2021 vintage onwards apply. It is more coastal, and includes 140,000 acres, with just 1,000 of it planted. It is some of the more extreme weather areas, such as Fort Ross/Seaview, and some very prime vineyards.
Interesting reading:
Before the journey to gain approval for the new AVA even began, a group of like-minded wineries banded together to form the West Sonoma Coast Vintners association to help educate consumers and trade. There are currently 28 winery members, including high-profile names such as DuMOL, Joseph Phelps, Littorai, Occidental, Senses, and Wayfarer.
Yeah, there did seem to be a typical style from AV that was pretty meh. Rhys is an example of what can be done with a site there. Their first vintage was just that. They dialed it in over the next few vintages. Not sure what vineyard and winemaking adjustments they made. Still not a buy for me, though.
What i really like/d are what a couple friends of mine do/did. Shalini Sekhar makes Waits-Mast, which is focused on SVD AV PNs. Scott Shapley made some excellent ones for Halcon. (Oh! Before that, Roessler. I had a Savoy he made.)
It’s a respectable region, and it’s distinct enough to be some people’s favorite.
I’ve heard those wines were almost (and in some cases over) 14% alcohol. Any idea about that?
Last Bottle is selling some currently. Sounds good enough to take a stab (my first LB purchase this year actually…)
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