Twomey’s Sonoma Coast Pinot is the best of its new releases from the exceptional ’09 vintage, though it is a close call. Floral and enticing on the nose, this wine exhibits remarkable fruit purity on the palate; raspberry and boysenberry come to mind. The tannins are silky, the acid firm, and the alcohol by volume is a mere 13.6 percent (low by today’s inflated ABV standards). The use of oak has been well judged. Fourteen months in French Burgundy barrels have imparted a bit of warmth and spice, allowing the gorgeous California fruit and classic Burgundian structure to steal the show, and that is as it should be.
