Sixteen by Twenty
16 x 20

I’ve noticed that the 2013 Cabernets seem to have an added dimension of brightness in the glass…I’m not sure what that indicates, but it’s there. It was very enticing when I poured this wine into the glass and the delicious aroma of sweet black fruit rolled over the rim and wafted across the table. Very pure aromas of black cherry, red cherry, and briary currant are most notable along with a compelling nuance of blackberry ganache chocolate. The ample fruit aromas are cradled and enveloped by hints of cedar and eucalyptus and a dusty, earthy, minerality. There is a pleasing hefty feel as a blanket of powdery, earthy tannins carry rich blackcurrant, plum and black cherry into every corner of the mouth. Black fruits, briar and very slightly smokey sweet oak with licorice linger on the finish. There is an intriguing marriage here of earth, briar and black fruits. This wine has excellent weight while possessing an elegant presentation…structured, soft, round and complex…so intense and deep, but currently drinkable with some suggested decanting. It’s becoming apparent that there are many opposing, yet harmonious characteristics to this wine…hmmm, is it our winemaking or is it the vintage….either way these contrasting elements coexist…such as, enveloping tannins yet a plush feel, dusty earthiness married to juicy fruit, big structure but an elegant personality. It all adds up to a wine that is Complex, balanced and destined to age beautifully…but you’ll also enjoy drinking it now; just the way we like this wine to be. JAN 2016

In 2012, Mother Nature lobbed a slow pitch over the plate and made it easy for us to swing for the bleachers. All the vineyards and varietals showed excellent concentration in the fruit, so we couldn’t resist adding some Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot to the Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is very dark, dense purple in color, which is an indicator of the concentration that is here. This is a young wine in the sense of vintage date, but even more so it’s a young wine because of its aging potential. Youthful shyness is here, but you can make out the early showing of sweet, creamy anise-tinged crushed blackberry in the nose. Very dark fruits are macerating with a glimmer of deep, dark black cherry, creamy cassis and dense plum all seamlessly integrate with slight expressions of new oak and cedar. Showing even more at this stage is the spicy bramble, spicy floral and white pepper aromas that add intrigue. I get the compelling impression of a pleasant, assured coolness to the nose. I would call this a big wine, a concentrated wine, and a young wine. The mouth-feel is incredible…full, fat, excellent volume that fills the mouth with round expansion from cheek to cheek. Deep, rich, creamy black fruits billow through from start to finish. Round and harmonious, yet firm, straight-edged concentration, with intense focus. Big, strong, mouth-coating, silty tannins envelope the entire mouth as the intense, voluminous middle slides effortlessly into a slightly smoke-and-cedar tinged, long, long finish that is reminiscent of a blackberry reduction sauce. Yes, this is a big wine. JANUARY 2015

The secret to expressing the soul of a vintage – the best of a vintage – is to make certain that you are only harvesting fully ripe grapes. 2011 was a cold vintage, and yet we took the risks and put in the handwork to allow our Cabernet Sauvignon to reach optimal ripeness. One taste of the fruit in this wine and you’ll see why.

This is not a dark, dense, brooding colored wine, rather it is a deep, lush, reddish-purple that signals the open nature of this vintage. Surprisingly, for such a young wine, the nose confirms this with open and generous, beautiful aromas of black cherry, spicy briar and blueberry compote. In the middle of this voluptuous bouquet is the core of the nose, a delicious persistent expression that keeps poking through and capturing your attention. I’m being specific here, but to me it’s dead-on the complex aroma of Harry and David dark chocolate covered dried black cherries. One sip of this wine tells you to take a bigger sip - a mouthful. Here’s where the character of the vintage really shows - soft tannins, voluptuous, full juicy flavors of bright creamy black cherry and blueberry preserves make this wine simply delicious and oh so easy to drink. There are also enough subtle nuanced complexities to keep this 2011 from being a simple wine. Accents of dusty earthiness, black currant, dried cherry, dark chocolate, pomegranate, green tea and dried violets keep it interesting. The finish is moderate, bringing in a spicy briar note but by this time you’re already taking another mouthful because this fully-ripe 2011 is just plain delicious to drink! JANUARY 2014

The deep, dark purple color signals that this wine is a new release, and that it is just beginning to evolve and show the first signs of awakening. Intriguing blackberry, menthol and spice notes dominate this youthful nose, but black cherry, and blackcurrant are layered in there as well. Slight nuances of anise, black olive, charcoal and a slight hint of vanilla and coconut only add to the intrigue. There is a rich, round, soft mouth-feel to this wine that subtly unfolds refined layers of black cherry, red cherry, and blackcurrant. Hints of blueberry, plum, olive and vanilla carry the middle into the slightly smoke-tinged finish. The youthful, structured finish has firm - yet sweet - tannins. This wine is slightly shy right now but the balance is excellent and the nuanced, Bordeaux-like complexity is – again - very intriguing. The 2009 is most similar to our 2006 vintage – mainly because both vintages are nuanced and structured with less dependence on big fruit, and more notable for the secondary complexities of a balanced Cabernet Sauvignon. There is no doubt that this wine will be long-lived. We would decant in the near term, but keep a few bottles in the cellar because we believe this wine is going to be very interesting as it ages. MARCH 2012

This 2014 continues to build on the character of our Sonoma Coast vineyards that we started to see in 2012. This is how we like cool climate Chardonnay to taste. A very cheerful, bright, pale yellow gold color reflects the personality of this wine. There is a subtle spring-like freshness in the aromas of the ethereal, yet well defined and persistent nose. Fresh, cool, fruit aromas beginning with lemon zest and lime dew flow into tangerine, nectarine, honeydew melon, not quite ripe pineapple and minerally damp pebbles. Equally fresh secondary aromas of rising bread dough, fresh clean hay, and graham cracker pie crust can be found in harmonious support of the citrus tanginess. Graceful wisps of mild oak can be found at the edges. The feel is round and generous with excellent volume that carries the subtle and nimble flavors through a cascading explosion of lightly sweetened fruit. The nose and flavors mirror one another with citrus leading the way. Lemon peel, lemon curd, tart nectarine, pear and melon are found, along with a medium long, refreshing finish that shows a clean, thin outline of oak and an overlying minerality. This is complex Chardonnay where you actually taste Chardonnay. JANUARY 2016

This wine is produced from two vineyards that are part of the Sonoma Coast appellation. Both are cold sites, but not icy cold, so we obtain the wonderful crispness of fresh, ripe fruit - typical of a cold climate Chardonnay, but without the austerity that icy cold areas can deliver. Clone 6 Chardonnay from one vineyard, and Old Wente Clone from the other, compliment each other in so many ways. By the way - hold a glass of this pale gold wine up to the light of a window and you’ll see the proof that we do not filter our wines…all the intensity, and a few particles, go into the bottle. The shy tightness of this wine at this stage is a characteristic of Chardonnay that has been aged on its lees with weekly stirring. This character bodes well for a long, blossoming future. The tight, closed nose on the surface hints at green apples with a whiff of pineapple. With a little time in the glass, the spicy floral bouquet shows up carrying tingly lemon and tangerine aromas, supported by a core of spicy peaches and cream. The charm of this cold climate Chardonnay is that its charms are layered and subtle, revealing themselves with a little time and a little attention. Pure, clean, refreshing…and now I’m getting a soft and subtle sensation of fluffy lemon cream. Taking a sip, the first impression is of the flavor and bright acidity of little green apples. Citrus peel, citrus deserts….mainly lemon…with air tend to taste of tangerine. It’s compelling that the flavors are so bright and refreshing, light and delicate, yet the feel has substantial volume. Nuances come and go in the long, mouth-coating finish of lemon and oak-tinged minerality. Plenty of minerality. JANUARY 2015

From the first day we sought out grapes from this extraordinary region, we had a vision for our expression of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay – and our 2012 vintage is the wine we had in mind. Subtle changes in the vineyard, tweaking our French Oak Barrel aging, and allowing fermentation with native wild yeasts has all allowed us to coax the purest expression of the Sonoma Coast into our Chardonnay.

The 2012 has a pale, yellow-gold color that shimmers with a brightness that looks refreshing. The nose is fresh, clean and dewy with tingly vibrant citrus that is most like preserved lemon slices and orange blossom. Deep, deep, deep, you’ll find a delicious streak of vanilla. Wrapped around the fruit is a cool aroma of damp stones that adds some complexity. Taking a sip, you realize your first impression was right – this wine is refreshing. Bright, fresh citrus acidity - lemon peel, at first - is immediately mouthwatering; and then a fuller expression of tangerine takes over. There is a focused, pure, linear progression, without distractions, that moves from citrus to subtle peach to expansive tart green apple – maybe crabapple. Let me know if you agree, but I detect a subtle nuance of fresh straw. The Oak balance is ideal; just enough to give Chardonnay greater dimension, but not enough to interfere with the fresh flavors. Finally it is notable to feel the weight and the density of this wine – quite pleasantly surprising given the bright, agile freshness that is the hallmark of this wine and indeed of the Sonoma Coast. JANUARY 2014

What occurred to me, while settling in to write this tasting note, is that the essential charm of great Pinot Noir is that it is so difficult to describe. There are no dramatic descriptors needed to elucidate the ethereal terroir charms of a well-made wine from this mysterious, subtle, sensuous grape. Our Sixteen by Twenty 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir presents this very challenge. The color is that of a beautiful, shiny garnet gemstone. Not too dark and not too light... a true Pinot Noir color that prepares the pallet for a nicely extracted wine of elegant grace. The nose is spicy with intriguing terroir underbrush notes. There is plenty of ripe cherry, but it's more complex than a simple aroma of fruit. Is it cherry-tinged earth, or earth-tinged cherry? Hard to tell. With the first sip of this wine, you are captivated by the soft, plush, satiny feel. It's like velvet - weightless velvet. Fresh acidity envelops the delicate cherry flavor, reminding me of sour Morello cherries; but nuances of raspberry and blueberry show up as well. Enchanting spicy sage, and cherry-soaked earth, lingers in the finish as well as a subtly nuanced smoke-tinged anise that reminds me of a campfire. These flavors are joined by a spicy dried cherry, forest floor crescendo with a hint of creamy blueberry that adds even more evocative complexity to the long, lingering finish. We produced a beautifully balanced, terroir-driven wine that expresses the best qualities of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. JANUARY 2014