Chardonnay: Ritchie Pinot noir: Keefer Holloway Hellenthal Sonoma County Pinot meunier: van der kamp
Chardonnay: Ritchie
Pinot noir: Keefer Holloway Hellenthal Sonoma County
Pinot meunier: van der kamp
2011 Holloway Vineyard Pinot noir The garnet color in the glass is laced with a youthful, purple hue. Aromas are tight and subtle at first, yielding to the fruits of pie cherries and red raspberries. Spice and cedar shavings appear along with the sweetness of black licorice or fennel. The perception of red fruits continue on the palate, framed with the structure of sleek tannin and bright acidity. The overall impression of the wine is one of Burgundian heritage. The cool growing season of 2011 leaving its mark as a vintage of understated elegance. Production: 25 cases Released: 08/19/2013 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD 2012 Pinot noir Rose' The wine is a beautiful salmon color with aromas of freshley sliced strawberries and a hint of white pepper. Strawberry and raspberry flavors mix with creamy vanilla and more spices. The entry is bright and crisp, filling the palate with a delicate balance of textures and then stretches out into a very long finish. Production: 34 cases Released: 08/19/2013 PURCHASE NOW 2009 Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot noir The wine is deeply colored with a hint of blue at the edge of the glass. Complex aromas open slowly to show savory spices, pungent cedar and subtle earth. Dark, brooding fruit aromas suggest a bramble of wild blackberries. Flavors follow aromas on the palate with a sweet, round core of cherries. The palate weight is significant and the mouth coating tannins are firm, but yielding. This wine shows classic acid and tannin structure typical of muscular Pinot noir hailing from the extreme Sonoma Coast. The wine unfolds at table, revealing more of its personality and will age comfortably for at least five years. Production: 261 cases Released: 10/15/2012 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD 90 POINTS, Wine Spectator , September 30, 2013 " Offers pure, ripe, juicy plum and blueberry at the core, remaining supple and subtle, with a dash of spice and floral scents. Easy-drinking, this gains on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 261 cases made. - JL" 93 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 " Greg Bjornstad brings his deft touch to this lovely wine. Hard to imagine a better restaurant Pinot for the wine list, with food-friendly bright acidity. It’s light and silky, brisk in acidity, and compellingly rich. The raspberry and cherry fruit has earthy notes of mushrooms, giving the wine great complexity. Good as it is now, it will easily develop bottle notes over the next 5–6 years.. - S.H. " 2009 van der Kamp Vineyard Pinot noir Pretty, brilliant garnet color and aromas of plum and black raspberries fill the glass along with layers of roses, sandalwood and earthy, forest floor. There is also the signature quality of the van der Kamp Vineyard in a wild quiality of smoked meat or game. On the palate, the entry is round and rich with smooth supple tannin. Flavors follow aromas perfectly giving way to a finish that is long and velvety smooth. Production: 135 cases Released: 10/5/2012 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD 92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 "So delicious to drink now, it’s easy to overlook the complexity and ageworthiness of this Pinot. It’s vastly rich in raspberry jam, butterscotch and vanilla flavors, housed in an airy, silky texture. Good as it is, this wine should gain traction over the next 5–6 years . - S.H. " 92 POINTS, Wine & Spirits Magazine "If you give this wine time to get past its notes of leather and meat, it will transform into a soft, generous pinot with the distinct character of Van der Kamp. Greg Bjornstad sources this fruit from a block planted ten years ago at more than 1,100 feet elevation. The juicy red fruit has lovely ripeness without going sweet, framing a transparent view to the soil." 2009 van der Kamp Vineyard Pinot meunier In the glass, a deep garnet color and intriguing layered aromas of forest floor, cedar spice, licorice and earth mingle with wild, black raspberries. On the palate, flavors follow aromas with black raspberries, sweet, black licorice and duff. The texture is an elegant balance between firm and round with satisfying palate weight. These flavors and texture finally give way to a long, rich finish. 2009 is a great vintage! Production: 49 cases Released: 9/15/2011 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD 91 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 "Hard to tell the difference between this wine and a Pinot Noir. It’s silky, brisk and lightly tannic, with savory raspberry jam, cola, sautéed mushroom and spice flavors. Drink over the next few years for freshness.. - S.H. " 2009 Sonoma County Chardonnay Aromas of creamy vanilla, spice and roasty, toasty creme bruleé interweave with the rich tropical fruit qualities and then, a mineral aspect of crushed stone. The texture of the wine is rich and opulent with flavors of stone fruit of peach and apricot and vanilla custard. The richness of the wine is beautifully balanced with bright acidity and a solid structure, finally giving way to a long and persistent finish. This wine is unfiltered and unfined and may show an opaque quality, which is entirely natural. Production: 363 cases Released: 3/1/2012 PURCHASE NOW 92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , October 1, 2011 "Pretty much as good as Bjornstad’s single-vineyard bottlings. It’s opulent and creamy, with exotic tropical fruit, green apple, pear and honey flavors, elaborately oaked and spicy. Wonderful acidity gives a clean scour to all the richness. - S.H. " 2 Stars, 91 POINTS, Connoisseurs' Guide , October 2012 "Here is a beautifully proportioned wine that reminds richness and refinement are not all antithetical, and it manages to be wonderfully complex and light on its feet at one and the same time. It displays lots of vigorous young fruit and is layered with vanilla and sweet spice, and its sense of focus never wavers. It is sleek and sustained with the brightness and balance to ensure that it will get even better with age, and it stands with the best Chardonnay values that we have seen in some time. " 88 POINTS, Wine & Spirits Magazine "Toasty, pain grille' and butter scents show the leesy evolution of this wine. It's golden with sweet lime flavors, a white to chill for grilled salmon." 2008 Barbed Oak Vineyard Chardonnay Subtle and restrained are the nuanced citrus peel, lightly toasted almond and mineral aromas. The structure and extract of the wine spreads across the palate, coating it with rich textures of fine tannin and balanced acidity. Flavors resonate between Meyer lemon, crisp pear, green apple and toasted almonds. The powerful texture extends the long and lingering finish with the creamy richness of creme brulee’ and almond encrusted lemon custard. Production: 115 cases Released: 10/15/2011 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD 92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , October 1, 2011 " The initial impression of this Chardonnay is of intense pineapple, pear and tropical fruit flavors, but then the minerality and acidity kick in, and the wine feels grounded and vital. It's a lovely effort, rich and intense yet light and ephemeral. - S.H. " Connoisseur's Guide - 94 POINTS, Two Puffs "Youthful, citrusy and appley scents with a hint of apple blossom make a fine start here, and the wine respons with solid, well focused, still nascent flavors of apples, grapefruit and lightly spicy notes. Bright at the finish with integrated oaky richness adding to the charm of the wine at this writing, this one, like its mates, wants a few years of cellaring in which to grow into itself and reach its full potential. It is a handsome example of fruit and acidity working together. Reviewed: August 2011" ^ back to top PAST VINTAGES
2011 Holloway Vineyard Pinot noir The garnet color in the glass is laced with a youthful, purple hue. Aromas are tight and subtle at first, yielding to the fruits of pie cherries and red raspberries. Spice and cedar shavings appear along with the sweetness of black licorice or fennel. The perception of red fruits continue on the palate, framed with the structure of sleek tannin and bright acidity. The overall impression of the wine is one of Burgundian heritage. The cool growing season of 2011 leaving its mark as a vintage of understated elegance.
Production: 25 cases Released: 08/19/2013 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD
2012 Pinot noir Rose' The wine is a beautiful salmon color with aromas of freshley sliced strawberries and a hint of white pepper. Strawberry and raspberry flavors mix with creamy vanilla and more spices. The entry is bright and crisp, filling the palate with a delicate balance of textures and then stretches out into a very long finish.
Production: 34 cases Released: 08/19/2013 PURCHASE NOW
2009 Hellenthal Vineyard Pinot noir The wine is deeply colored with a hint of blue at the edge of the glass. Complex aromas open slowly to show savory spices, pungent cedar and subtle earth. Dark, brooding fruit aromas suggest a bramble of wild blackberries. Flavors follow aromas on the palate with a sweet, round core of cherries. The palate weight is significant and the mouth coating tannins are firm, but yielding. This wine shows classic acid and tannin structure typical of muscular Pinot noir hailing from the extreme Sonoma Coast. The wine unfolds at table, revealing more of its personality and will age comfortably for at least five years.
Production: 261 cases Released: 10/15/2012 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD
90 POINTS, Wine Spectator , September 30, 2013 " Offers pure, ripe, juicy plum and blueberry at the core, remaining supple and subtle, with a dash of spice and floral scents. Easy-drinking, this gains on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 261 cases made. - JL"
93 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 " Greg Bjornstad brings his deft touch to this lovely wine. Hard to imagine a better restaurant Pinot for the wine list, with food-friendly bright acidity. It’s light and silky, brisk in acidity, and compellingly rich. The raspberry and cherry fruit has earthy notes of mushrooms, giving the wine great complexity. Good as it is now, it will easily develop bottle notes over the next 5–6 years.. - S.H. "
2009 van der Kamp Vineyard Pinot noir Pretty, brilliant garnet color and aromas of plum and black raspberries fill the glass along with layers of roses, sandalwood and earthy, forest floor. There is also the signature quality of the van der Kamp Vineyard in a wild quiality of smoked meat or game. On the palate, the entry is round and rich with smooth supple tannin. Flavors follow aromas perfectly giving way to a finish that is long and velvety smooth.
Production: 135 cases Released: 10/5/2012 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD
92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 "So delicious to drink now, it’s easy to overlook the complexity and ageworthiness of this Pinot. It’s vastly rich in raspberry jam, butterscotch and vanilla flavors, housed in an airy, silky texture. Good as it is, this wine should gain traction over the next 5–6 years . - S.H. "
92 POINTS, Wine & Spirits Magazine "If you give this wine time to get past its notes of leather and meat, it will transform into a soft, generous pinot with the distinct character of Van der Kamp. Greg Bjornstad sources this fruit from a block planted ten years ago at more than 1,100 feet elevation. The juicy red fruit has lovely ripeness without going sweet, framing a transparent view to the soil."
2009 van der Kamp Vineyard Pinot meunier In the glass, a deep garnet color and intriguing layered aromas of forest floor, cedar spice, licorice and earth mingle with wild, black raspberries. On the palate, flavors follow aromas with black raspberries, sweet, black licorice and duff. The texture is an elegant balance between firm and round with satisfying palate weight. These flavors and texture finally give way to a long, rich finish. 2009 is a great vintage!
Production: 49 cases Released: 9/15/2011 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD
91 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , June 1, 2013 "Hard to tell the difference between this wine and a Pinot Noir. It’s silky, brisk and lightly tannic, with savory raspberry jam, cola, sautéed mushroom and spice flavors. Drink over the next few years for freshness.. - S.H. "
2009 Sonoma County Chardonnay Aromas of creamy vanilla, spice and roasty, toasty creme bruleé interweave with the rich tropical fruit qualities and then, a mineral aspect of crushed stone. The texture of the wine is rich and opulent with flavors of stone fruit of peach and apricot and vanilla custard. The richness of the wine is beautifully balanced with bright acidity and a solid structure, finally giving way to a long and persistent finish. This wine is unfiltered and unfined and may show an opaque quality, which is entirely natural.
Production: 363 cases Released: 3/1/2012 PURCHASE NOW
92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , October 1, 2011 "Pretty much as good as Bjornstad’s single-vineyard bottlings. It’s opulent and creamy, with exotic tropical fruit, green apple, pear and honey flavors, elaborately oaked and spicy. Wonderful acidity gives a clean scour to all the richness. - S.H. "
2 Stars, 91 POINTS, Connoisseurs' Guide , October 2012 "Here is a beautifully proportioned wine that reminds richness and refinement are not all antithetical, and it manages to be wonderfully complex and light on its feet at one and the same time. It displays lots of vigorous young fruit and is layered with vanilla and sweet spice, and its sense of focus never wavers. It is sleek and sustained with the brightness and balance to ensure that it will get even better with age, and it stands with the best Chardonnay values that we have seen in some time. "
88 POINTS, Wine & Spirits Magazine "Toasty, pain grille' and butter scents show the leesy evolution of this wine. It's golden with sweet lime flavors, a white to chill for grilled salmon."
2008 Barbed Oak Vineyard Chardonnay Subtle and restrained are the nuanced citrus peel, lightly toasted almond and mineral aromas. The structure and extract of the wine spreads across the palate, coating it with rich textures of fine tannin and balanced acidity. Flavors resonate between Meyer lemon, crisp pear, green apple and toasted almonds. The powerful texture extends the long and lingering finish with the creamy richness of creme brulee’ and almond encrusted lemon custard.
Production: 115 cases Released: 10/15/2011 PURCHASE NOW ABOUT THE VINEYARD
92 POINTS, The Wine Enthusiast , October 1, 2011 " The initial impression of this Chardonnay is of intense pineapple, pear and tropical fruit flavors, but then the minerality and acidity kick in, and the wine feels grounded and vital. It's a lovely effort, rich and intense yet light and ephemeral. - S.H. "
Connoisseur's Guide - 94 POINTS, Two Puffs "Youthful, citrusy and appley scents with a hint of apple blossom make a fine start here, and the wine respons with solid, well focused, still nascent flavors of apples, grapefruit and lightly spicy notes. Bright at the finish with integrated oaky richness adding to the charm of the wine at this writing, this one, like its mates, wants a few years of cellaring in which to grow into itself and reach its full potential. It is a handsome example of fruit and acidity working together. Reviewed: August 2011"
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PAST VINTAGES