My husband and I recently visited family in San Diego, where they served this wine with dinner. I thought it looked familiar and realized that I had reviewed the 2016 vintage for this publication. I was delighted to find that the 2019 vintage is every bit as delicious as I remember the 2016. It is a smooth-as-silk wine with luscious black cherry, strawberry, raspberry fruit with vanilla notes balanced with tangy acidity and beautifully integrated fine grained tannins. It has the luscious fruit to stand up to barbequed pork ribs or sweet-sour sauces and the acidity and tannins to clear the sweetness from the palate. The winery and vineyards belong to Lester and Linda Schwartz who purchased the property overlooking the Sonoma coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Winemaker Jeff Pisoni joined the team in 2008.
Fort Ross Winery, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2019
By Rebecca Murphy