Emeritus Vineyards, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2019

 Because it is cold, windy, and frequently muddy in the Sebastopol Hills region, when Brice Jones Cutrer first saw this site in 1999 he believed (correctly, as it turned out) that the 115 acre Hallberg Ranch would be a perfect spot for Pinot Noir vines to thrive.  Since he had just sold his renowned Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, he wasted no time buying the place.  Today, under the leadership of his daughter Mari Jones and winemaker Keith Hammond, the estate is indeed turning out some impressive wines such as this 2019 Pinot Hill West Pinot Noir.  Dry farmed, the vineyard’s well drained soils produced small grapes that yielded this deeply colored and aromatic wine.  Lushly textured and offering brambly, slightly herbal flavors, the Pinot is unfined and unfiltered.  It has 13.6% alcohol.