Migration Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2022

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Dark ruby red in the glass, with rich notes of chocolate, black currant, ripe blackberry, and marionberry with hints of toasted oak and dark cherry on the nose. The palate is rich and complex with flavors of ripe dark fruits, chocolate cherry, plum, toffee, and blackberry pie. This wine has a lingering fruit-forward finish with firm acidity and smooth velvety tannins. A classic yet complex Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

I feel this wine expresses the greatness of California and its hidden pockets where Cabernet can excel. The cold Pacific Ocean running the entire length of the state presents maritime influences – and with each small distance eastward the climate warms. Stony soils, south facing slopes and moderately warm conditions are the keys to producing dark, rich and good tasting Cabernet.

A small release from Caymus Vineyards, this wine is a California-appellation Cabernet Sauvignon – supple, dark and rich, bearing the signature hallmarks of Caymus. It is sourced from sites throughout the state which feature climatic conditions, soils and topography that are ideally suited to Cabernet. This project stems from excitement over California's diverse vineyard land, often in lesser-known areas, with the potential to produce exceptional Cabernet. 

Paysan Sauvignon Blanc Zabala Vineyard is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Paysan Sauvignon Blanc comes from Zabala Vineyard - located on a large holding on the Arroyo Seco floodplains that was part of land granted to the Zabala family before California’s statehood. It was first planted in the 1970s and has grown to encompass over 1000 acres. Zabala Vineyard is one of the rockiest vineyard I Brand works with, full of what is locally known as ‘Greenfield Potatoes’, which are the rather inedible round river stones that dominate the soil and have been collected into piles and walls at every property in the basin. This vineyard is located directly in the path of the daily Salinas Valley winds, which control sugar development and retain natural acidity. Certified organic grapes.

Tasting Notes: Light-bodied. Aromatic explosion on the nose. Lime, gooseberry, green melon, grapefruit, white peach, passion fruit. Crisp, tart, clean with bright acidity on the palate. Neutral oak ageing provides subtle creaminess, while still exhibiting trademark green notes.

Mordoree Tavel Rose Reine des Bois is made from Grenache of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Clairette .

Nose: Steady rose, brilliant and cristal clear.
Aromas : very complex : from flowers, white fruits and red fruits (strawberries, pomegranate, rapsberry). Slightly mentho-lated
Palate : fresh, classy, elegant, very long.
Aging capacity : 8 to 10 years.

This wine comes from a parcel planted on a pebbled soil covered with stones, whose geology is typical of the grands crus from the Rhone Valley (a base made of marine molasse from the Miocene period covered with an alpine diluvium from the Villafranchian period). 100 % destemming, cold maceration during 48 h., pneumatic pressing, fermentation at 18° C.

To pair with: roasted and or spicy chicken, duck, goose, fish soup, white meat, seafood and a lot of fishes (tuna, John Dorry, red mulet, etc...).Quite all Asian cuisine. Dishes with garlic, dishes with tomatoes.

Review:

The smaller-production 2024 Domaine De La Mordoree Tavel Cuvee De La Reine Des Bois is a similar blend but includes a touch more Syrah (which probably explains the slightly deeper hue), with 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% each of Cinsault and Clairette, brought up in tank. It has a slightly deeper, darker nose of black cherries, red currants, crushed limestone, and white pepper. It's very much in a more reserved, mineral-driven style, yet it blossoms with air and picks up plenty of sweet, wild strawberry nuances with time in the glass. It’s medium-bodied and focused, with bright, integrated acidity and a salty, mineral-laced finish. This is a very different style than the classic Tavel, offering more focus, freshness, and acidity, though not quite the same complexity and mouthfeel. Regardless, both of these brilliant Tavels are reference-point wines that set the benchmark for the appellation. Drink bottles through the end of 2026.

-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points

 The word "Balade" is French for wandering.  This is a fitting term for our annual exploration of single-vineyard Pinot Noir & Chardonnay blocks on the west coast.  Each vintage, we will bottle only the most compelling and nuanced expression of pinot noir from a single selected vineyard and release it as a limited bottling.

Review:

Creamy, desirous notes of lemon curd bathed in toffee nougat reach a peak as it settles across the mouth thanks to a fine acid structure. Baked pear smooths out on mid-palate, with buttered croissant on the elegant, lengthy finish - The Tasting Panel, May/June 2025

-Tasting Panel 95 Points

The inviting nose offers up scents of Santa Rosa red plums, cassis, dried sweet figs and pomegranate backed by sandalwood and hints of tea rose. Bright and exciting on the palate, the entry begins with firm tannins and complex layers of red raspberries, bergamot tea, dried herbs and rose petal notes. Refreshing acidity carries the wine throughout the finish.

To match with the juicy acidity and bright nature of this wine, we offer up a vegan recipe for Spicy Quinoa with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms. The shiitakes are a classic pairing with Pinot Noir, but when combined with the spicy ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper, all melds beautifully into a dish that pairs seamlessly with the 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. 

Review:

Aromas of spiced cherry, plum and fresh mint. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. An interesting, well-balanced mix of fresh red and black fruit and savory spice. Good concentration. Drink or hold.

-James Suckling 93 Points

The 2020 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is ripe with raspberry candy, crushed rose petal, and turned earth. The tannins in the 2020 are a touch more present and emerge on the finish, and it also has more warmth. Drink this over the next 10 years.

-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points