The theme of this wine is benevolent subtlety, with subdued notes of green apple and a touch of pine. It impresses with taut freshness and a citrus lift with an atomizer’s kiss of sea spray.
The theme of this wine is benevolent subtlety, with subdued notes of green apple and a touch of pine. It impresses with taut freshness and a citrus lift with an atomizer’s kiss of sea spray.
Most of the fruit hails from the winery’s higher elevation To the Moon Vineyard in the Willow Creek District, its powdery limestone soils contribute to the wine’s inherent minerality. Aged 16 months in 40% new French and American oak. Plums and violets lean into a compact, exacting elegance. Fresh, and multi-dimensional with streamlined tannins.
Melded with 8% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, the team of Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitsky have the talent to smooth out a Sierra Foothills Cab with supreme elegance, aging this wine in (25% new) French oak for 14 months. Mountain garrigue intensifies with licorice-kissed boysenberries and mocha-cherry cedar. Plush and energetic, with concentrated floral tones, the ripest blue fruit and a fine acid structure.
Reserve release from Panther Ridge is closely comparable to the “regular” Pinot Noir from the same vintage, though it is noticeably darker in color and deeper in flavor. With appealing aromas of spices and toast leading to delicious flavors recalling dark cherries above all, this is worth the extra ten bucks, but both 2023 Pinots are excellent.
Suave in expression and silky in texture, this seems like a genuinely Burgundian Pinot from a cool year and a long growing season. Woody accents from 50% new French oak lend complexity but are tastefully restrained, and very fine-grained tannins provide structure without drying or shortening the finish. This is a pure, polished Pinot that can be enjoyed now.
Its leesy mouthfeel is generous with nectarine and melon. A notable line of acidity leans into Key lime and meringue. Refreshing and vibrant.
Wild strawberry, cinnamon-cranberry, and vanilla are cheerful, and this fruit-forward wine pleases from start to finish.
Bright cherries are lifted by a fine acid structure. Notes of spearmint, red tea, and sweet tobacco follow, showcasing a pleasantly approachable red at 5.9% abv.