($61):  Papapietro Perry’s vibrant Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir shows bright red cherry-like flavors as opposed to the darker fruit character of the one from Nunes Vineyard.  Still, it’s mostly a fruit-driven Pinot Noir without substantial savory notes common to that variety. … Read more

($82):  The lush Papapietro Perry Pommard Clones bottling is the boldest of Papapietro’s trio of Pinot Noir releases, displaying ripe black fruit notes.  Like their two other bottlings, this Pinot Noir displays a velvety texture.  Reflective of its 14.4 percent stated alcohol, a touch of heat comes through in its slightly sweet finish. … Read more

($66):  Papapietro Perry makes a trio of Pinot Noirs that all show a focus on ripe fruitiness while keeping the distinctiveness of site.  Nunes Vineyard, a former pig farm with rich soil and a warm site, unsurprisingly, produced this robust Pinot Noir. … Read more

($45):  David Stare founded Dry Creek Vineyard over five decades ago, in 1972.  Over those five decades, they have an enviable track record of consistency.  Though I am reluctant to describe a style by what they are not, it is important to emphasize that Dry Creek Vineyard’s wines are never flamboyant. … Read more

($30):  The Carneros region of Sonoma, and Napa for that matter, is cooler because it abuts San Pablo Bay, which funnels cool Pacific Ocean air into the vineyards.  Despite the cooling maritime influences, Cline has managed to create a Chardonnay with substance, reflected by its 14.5 percent stated alcohol, but without going overboard. … Read more

($55):  If your idea of California Chardonnay is heavy and buttery, this graceful one with surprise you.  Restrained, weighing in at a modest, 13.5 percent-stated alcohol, it nonetheless makes a prominent presence.  Despite its apparent lack of power, there’s plenty going on here. … Read more

($50):  Tongue Dancer has skillfully managed to produce single-vineyard Chardonnay that are different, unique, and demonstrate a stylistic spectrum of the Russian River Valley.  This beautifully balanced one displays lavish tropical fruit notes supported by zesty acidity and a welcoming hint of bitterness in the finish. … Read more

($42):  Tongue Dancer’s Pratt Vineyard Irwin Lane bottling seems like a marriage of their Pratt Vine Hill and their Bacigalupi, with a touch more density and fruitiness compared to the Pratt Vine Hill, but fewer tropical aspects seen in the Bacigalupi. … Read more

($65):  This sleek and racy Chardonnay is the bookend to Tongue Dancer’s tropically infused Bacigalupi Vineyard bottling.  With a modest 13.1 percent stated alcohol, the taut Pratt Vine Hill Chardonnay delights the plate with flinty and mineral nuances.  It unfolds gloriously as it sits in the glass so don’t be put off by its initial reticence. … Read more

($80):  The Sonoma Coast AVA is enormous, even encompassing the Russian River Valley, a warmer locate.  Growers whose vineyards were closer to the Pacific would claim their wines came from “the real Sonoma Coast.”  Finally, in 2022 The West Sonoma Coast, a strip closest to the Pacific Ocean, was rightly carved out of the greater Sonoma Coast AVA and given its own AVA. … Read more

($63):  One of the impressive things about Tongue Dancer’s wines is that they reflect their AVAs.  This one from the cooler Sonoma Coast, still fruit-focused, manages to combine the appealing cherry-like aromatics and flavors with clear savory influences.  Complexity emerges as it sits in the glass. … Read more

($63):  The talented team of James and Kerry MacPhail oversee Liquid Vineyl, the producer of Tongue Dancer wines.  Since everyone just refers to them as Tongue Dancer, I am using that moniker as the producer.  The MacPhails seem to favor a ripe, full-bodied style of Pinot Noir that emphasizes fruit over the grape’s potential savory side, though subtle herbal nuances do peak through in their Pinot de Ville. … Read more