Sojourn 2015 Fall Release Wines TN’s

WINE TALK
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I had a chance recently to taste through the Sojourn Fall Release wines. I’ve been buying and drinking Sojourn wines since the 2006 vintage for Pinot and 2005 vintage for Cab. We’ve all heard wineries boast that with respect to their latest releases, “this is our best vintage ever…” and you smile and say to wait to hear what they will say for the next year. BUT, in this case, this may be the best Sojourn vintage ever!

Interestingly, for the last several years, the Sojourn Sangiacomo has been among my wife’s favorite daily drinkers. To me, for the last couple of years, the Silver Eagle vineyard offerings from Sojourn and Rivers Marie have been my go-to Pinots. I have to say that since last year, the Wohler Pinot has been the standout that even makes Silver Eagle have to stand on sidelines. Note that these wines are not what the anti-flavor elite would call reminiscent of burgundy. They are, however, amazing wines and great examples of what California Pinot can offer.

2013 Russian River Pinot: Starting with a dark garnet color, this one has notes of deep blackberry fruit. There is a significant touch of acid at first blush which blows away after a few minutes. A touch monolithic, the wine is nicely balanced, with the essence of toast and spices; a good start of the line-up. Although it is comprised of a significant amount of the Wohler vineyard fruit, it doesn’t have the same elegant balance the Wohler vineyard wines exhibit.

2013 Wohler Vineyard Pinot: As hinted at above, this is a WOW wine! It is much more balanced and elegant than the Russian River blend, but the blackberry fruit is layered with plush flavors, coupled with baking spices and toast in the background, but more muted than with the blend. When revisited about 15 minutes later, the wine in the glass had opened up quite a bit more, with some floral notes and an extremely beautiful finish. My favorite!

2013 Ridgetop Pinot: This wine is very intriguing. It is broader than the Wohler, bigger but not over-the-top by any stretch – perhaps a brighter raspberry fruit profile. Thomas Brown and Fred Schader own the vineyard and sell it as Aston Estate. You can taste the pedigree. It has a very deep garnet color and a plush berry texture. The acid is appealing, there is a light touch of oak but very light, and a bit of a nutmeg in the finish. This might be one to cellar for a few years, but I like it now.

2013 Campbell Ranch Pinot: This one is definitely more cherry in flavor, and a bit more elegant than the Ridgetop. Some blackberry notes and baking spices, a maybe a little more acid than the last two SVD Pinots. As with all of the others, the finish was very nice. I would rank this third to the Wohler, but still a very nice wine.

2013 Silver Eagle Pinot: I was looking forward to this offering. It did not disappoint, but for some reason I still liked the Wohler a tad more at this point in time. Perhaps a little more time and this would be my favorite. A much brighter flavor profile. Raspberry and strawberry notes rather than a cherry or blackberry profile – with more prevalent spices in the background. The color was brighter – garnet – and the oak was almost invisible.

2012 Proprietary Cuvee Cabernet: I’ve been drinking Sojourn Cabernets since 2005 vintage. I still have some of their original Mountain Terraces Cabernet in my cellar, which were big brooding monsters. King Cab rated this wine similar to a Maybach. I would simply call it “Sublime.” It was decanted for an hour before tasting. This wine was plush. It is a beautiful mouthful of fruit. You touch the glass to your lips, take in some wine, and smile! The presence of the Rutherford Georges III third fruit is obvious with its dusty tannin; the beautiful blackberry, maybe a little rhubarb, and deep cherry notes in the fruit is divine. The oak is there but way in the background. The layers of wine and a long finish make this wine a keeper. I like it now – no need to wait years – but in time, it will be even better.

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I also had the chance recently to sample the Chardonnays and most of the Pinots from the Sojourn Fall 2015 Release. All were from the 2013 vintage, and mostly from Sonoma Coast. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to sample the Cabs.

Chardonnays

2013 Durell Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay
Somewhat lighter, more crisp/acidic, and more tart of the two Chardonnays. Pale yellow in color. Had a bit of pucker to it at first. Seemed the more complex. Pulled notes of lemon and pepper. Over time, lost the pucker, but some oak influences came out. Began to show more pectin, pear and peach, and a bit of petrol, also some flint minerality. Actually paired well with some Thai food. Made the spices pop. I think this wine will continue to improve and integrate with time. Very nice.

2013 Campbell Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay
This one was slightly more golden in color. Was also more smooth and velvety. Seemed to have a bit more body to it. Of the two, this one seemed to show more oak influence, and was more creamy and toasty. It too had some minerality, but more wet rock. It was also more perfumed and fragrant. Throughout, it kept the smooth texture, and began to show pineapple and some petrol. Overall, a softer wine, and one that tamed the spice of the food.

We enjoyed both Chardonnays. The Campbell was more soft, and the Durell was more crisp. Both I think showed influences of the winemaker. The Campbell was the clear favorite of my wife, and I would probably tend to lean that way as well.

Pinot Noirs

2013 Campbell Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
My first thought was this wine tasted very Sonoma Coast. Had the Thanksgiving baking spice profile. Also had that musty earth and forest floor aspects to it, some barnyard. Of the three SC Pinots, this one had more of the herbal notes, forest, pine, some “greenness” to it. But also had some sweet cherry. As it sat, more dried cherry came through. This wine, of the three SCs, seems already the most integrated. My wife thought this could pair well with a grilled steak.

2013 Ridgetop Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
The Ridgetop had more of the earthy, musty, barnyard aroma to it. More mushroom and dirt aspects. Also more smooth and soft. Of the three SCs, it had the most earthiness to it. As it sat, more blue fruit came out, as well as cinnamon and raspberry. Eventually, it got more cherry and cranberry, but the cinnamon remained a constant. To me, I could see this one going well with a grilled steak.

2013 Silver Eagle Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
This one seemed to have the least aromatics. Flavors at first were tart fruit, and some dirt. But there was a sweet fruit I could not get my finger on at first, but eventually gave way to chocolate-covered-cherry, and black fruit, such as blackberries. Of the three SCs, this one showed the most jamminess. The earthiness slowly began to pop as did some floral aspects. Of the three, this one seemed to remain tighter the longest. I suspect this one could benefit the most from some time.

Of the three Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, we like the Ridgetop the best, followed by the Silver Eagle and then the Campbell. I think we liked the smoothness of the Ridgetop, and the cherry/cinnamon. It seemed the most rich and complex. Although all three were great, they again had similarities that probably showed the touch of the winemaker. Another solid lineup.

2013 Wohler Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
After a tour of the Sonoma Coast, we tasted an RRV Pinot (did not taste the RRV blend, just the Wohler SVD). It did not have the spice or mustiness of the SCs. This showed more sweet fruit, particularly cherry flavors. In general, was more fruity than the SCs. Was also more smooth and approachable. It too had some cinnamon aspects, and a bit of dirt/minerality, particularly as it opened. Also began to show more berry flavors, particularly blackberry. Very enjoyable wine.

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Our group also had the chance to drink the Chards and four of the five Pinots from the Fall Release.

2013 Campbell Ranch Chardonnay - consensus was this is ready to drink on pop and pour. Crisp, fresh acidity. Pear dominates with cutrus in the background good wine.

2013 Durell Chardonnay - while there was no formal tally of scores, this may have been the overall wine of the night. While more oak than the Campbell Ranch, it was very well judged and not noticeable. Complex chard with tropical fruit and lemon.

2013 Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir - This was ready to drink on pop and pour. Lighter but with lots of red fruit layered across the spectrum with an earthiness on the finish. Liked by all.

2013 Ridgetop Pinot Noir - originally served on pop and pour as suggested.mit had great red fruit on the initial attack but didn’t not have depth and finish. Small amount left after a 90 minute slow oz showed much better. Rounder with more black fruit. Would like to try this again with a decent decant.

2013 Silver Eagle Pinot Noir - 60 minute decant. Starts off with tart cranberry. If you gave it more time it evolved greatly. Needs more air or time.

2013 Wohler Pinot Noir - 90 minute decant. Red fruit, spice and earth and will most likely be the best of the bunch. Wish I hadn’t had it last of the group.

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Thanks for posting folks. I’ll have a chance to try these soon and look forward to it. Notes appreciated.

Cheers

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I also had the pleasure of tasting thru some of the Sojourn fall releases. The Campbell, Silver Eagle, and Ridgetop (along with Sangiacomo) tend to be my favorite as they have more earthness and acid then the Wohler and Gaps Crown, for instance. These tended to be a little less aromatically expressive than some prior vintages at this stage in their development (not sure if that is a function of vintage), but they opened up nicely after being open for a few hours.

2013 Wohler Pinot: Wohler always strikes me as very typical of RRV fruit, dominated by bright, intense strawberry/cherry flavors. The 2013 had more acid, spice, and dirt character than in prior years. I think it needs a little time to pull itself together, whereas in prior years it was good to go immediately. I liked the complexity as compared to prior years.

2013 Campbell Ranch Pinot: Either Campbell or Sangiacomo is usually my favorite, depending on vintage. The Campbell struck me as the one that is the most integrated and ready to go. Paul nailed it in talking about Thanksgiving baking spice, musty earth, and forest floor, so I won’t try to come up with something similar but different. Round, full mouthfeel. This is a beautiful wine.

2013 Ridgetop Pinot: Young wine with a lot of acid on opening. A bigger wine. As it opened up, I got some earthiness, mushroom, and forest floor. There is good solid core to it. I think it will benefit greatly from some cellar time.

2013 Silver Eagle: Tighter than the Ridgetop. Darker fruit profile, with blackberry and dark cherry. Also spice, forest floor, and mustiness. This also could use some decant or cellar time.

I really liked all the Pinots. Sojourn Pinots are typically wines you can commit infacticide on as they are usually ready to go right away. These would all benefit from a couple of years in the cellar. Curiously, the Campbell struck me as the most readily drinkable. I think these will be really good, they just need some time to integrate.

2012 Proprietary Cuvee Cabernet: As usual, a big, expressive, gorgeous Cabernet with chocolate and blueberry.

2012 Oakville Cabernet: This is a big wine. It needs some time to integrate, I think, as it seems a little awkward now. I probably should have decanted it much longer. Very typical of Napa Cab fruit. Big tannin structure. I think some cellar time will benefit it greatly.

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Seeing your note that the Cab has some Georges III in it, I decided to pop a Sojourn 2009 Georges III. Very dark and inky in color. Loads of black fruit, lots of blackberry, some dark cherry and cassis. Plush and sumptuous, with some oak influence. Some sage notes, and tad bit of menthol. Lots of dirt and earth, and definitely shows some tannin. This wine still has plenty of time, and it is still a bit slutty. My original notes from a couple of years ago said it was a “damn fun” wine to drink, and it still is. I would let it sit at least another couple of years. Felt like I drank a baby.

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Attended the Sojourn get-together at Liquid Assets last evening. Of those who are in the LA Area, get to know Kevin Jones. He has a wine storage facility with events in North Hollywood, but more importantly, he’s a great guy. Last night, Sojourn was pouring some of its recent releases. I tried them again and still like the 2013 Pinots. Really nice especially Gaps Crown. But, the shining star once again was the 2012 Proprietary Cuvee. It is a blend of GIII and an Oakville Cab, and has an incredible mouthfeel with lots of dusty tannins typical in a Rutherford Cab. A really good cab!