The BEST of SONOMA Pinot Noir - Master of Wine drinks Pinot Noir Wines from California

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I have used this glass in this Video: RIEDEL Performance Pinot Noir.
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2019 Red Car Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir Fort Ross-Seaview AVA - 75 US$
2016 Hirsch San Andreas Fault Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast AVA - 75 US$
2019 Williams Selyem Rochioli Riverblock Pinot Noir - Russian River Valley AVA - 200 US$
2018 Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Estate Grown Carneros AVA - 50 US$
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is a soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
Pinot Noir is slowly conquering the world and in California, it has gained ground over the last decades. It was the fifth most widely planted variety in 2007 and now it is the third most important variety - having almost doubled in vineyard size.
There was a Pinot Boom over the last two decades and many agree that it all started because of the movie Sideways … which is still strange to me…
Pinot is mainly planted in the cooler regions along the coast and this is where Sonoma comes into play … Sonoma County covers the area north of San Francisco. It is the cool climate neighbor of Napa Valley. While the North of Sonoma can get pretty warm too and is home to Cabernet and Zinfandel, the South produces some of the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the state.
Why is the South Warmer than the North? You might wonder… Well, it is all about the influence of the Pacific.
The Pacific brings cold water from the north pole down to the shores of the Golden State. In most of Sonoma County the Mountain ranges running from North to South stop the cold winds from the sea but to the south, near the city of Petaluma there is a gap - the Petaluma gap.
Through that gap, wind flows into the region and cools it down significantly. The cold air goes up the valleys and in the north, the influence is not that pronounced any more. Pretty much exactly half of the 23.600 Hectares are planted to Chardonnay and Pinot but I will focus on the velvety kind or queen of the region: PN. So let's dive into the wines, the regions, the terroirs, the people …

[@Synday]

Konstantin, the type of guy to passionately explain he likes to sit in exactly that one chair at his favourite café, because of how the German North Sea breeze is perfectly regulating the temperature in that exact geographical spot

[@CharlieBrown379]

You need to do this with Oregon Pinot! Specifically willamette valley. I am so blessed to live here and we are finally getting the recognition we deserve.

[@nikolajkrarup8750]

Yes that would be great. I consider oregon as one of the best regions in the world for pinot noir besides Burgundy. I have tasted and own some great ones KelleyFox for instance. I got her Hyland corey clone vineyard at a very good price. The wine is awsome. I rate it 95 as several proffesionals and the price i paid was much lower than the prices for the wines in this video.

[@ronmcmartin4513]

I agree. Not as flamboyant as Sonoma, closer to Burgundy without the Price or Minefields of bad Burg.

[@coleenweir3248]

I much prefer Oregon Pinots vs California

[@tberreth33]

Here here - our Oregon Pinot’s are amazing! So much like Burgundian wines, not as ‘dark’ as California Pinot’s. Try Domaine Serene :)

[@markschneider3193]

I love them, but find them less consistent than RRV or Sonoma Coast. And quite expensive these days. Know any single vineyard examples, that are more moderate in price?

[@cchoukalable]

Literally in Sonoma right now with friends drinking Pinot. You nailed some great ones, but we loved Occidental and Hartford, as well. Great show!

[@michaelmeier6982]

My favorite Pinot noirs are from Failla from the Hirsch Vineyard or Occidental Ridge. Beautiful Pinots.

[@Str1fe5]

Excellent and informative video! I love the use of maps and context provided!

[@ryanmgkim]

hirsch vineyards is one of my favorite pinot noir producers of all time. the san andreas fault is just amazing

[@andreelux4016]

Thank you Sir. I always enjoy your analysis and insight.

[@laurencestewart3828]

Well done discussion of one of my favorite regions.

[@bkp808peters8]

Red Car is my favorite for 15 years! Excellent choices and I will be trying your recommendations. Thank you.

[@BigBobDookie]

I am so happy to hear you loved the Rochioli River Block. I am double glad that I bought some of the 2019 on release at a great price!

[@danfarmer6730]

Thank you so much Konstantin for reviewing CA Pinot Noir,s from Sonoma. I love Pinot’s from Russian River, the one I drink the most is MacMurray Ranch. Loved this video.

[@greggbull9543]

My wife and I have been visiting the Napa and Sonoma regions since the 1990’s. A real hidden gem as far as Pinot Noirs goes is from Merry Edwards, she make some very interesting, complex wines well worth trying. Great video and thanks for the tasting notes 🍷

[@freedom3594]

Hear hear! I’m pouring her SB by the glass right now. Merry Edwards makes delicious and interesting wines.

[@justinhurley7337]

My wife and I tried Merry Edwards Pinot a while back, and it is still the best pinot noir experience I’ve ever had. Beautiful wine, that kept expanding and giving new taste notes an hour in. Loved it!

[@WilliamJochim]

Merry Edwards is one of my favorites too! Sadly, she has retired and sold her winery to Maison Louis Rodederer. Hopefully, they will continue to make excellent Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc!

[@karlkobler218]

Love it! I grew up right next to her tasting room.

[@thomasschellberg8213]

This is not my style. Too heavy and syrupy for my taste. Merry Edwards wines just don't taste like Pinot Noir to me. This just illustrates that you need to calibrate your palate to that of the wine critic. If the critic's palate doesn't match your taste, you can't use their wine ratings as way to select your wine purchases. I'm glad you like Merry Edwards. Roederer is a fine producer, who should continue to make quality wines. (See comments below.)

[@msderay]

Answer of The Day: My spouse and I have enjoyed Merry Edwards wines. Mostly Pinot Noir, Merry’s wines are paragons of the style. Merry has since sold the winery to Roederer, but the new winemaker had spent several years working under Merry’s guidance, and the product has not been compromised since the ownership change. Related, we got married in 2018, and have gotten a case of 2018 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot, which has aged and morphed gracefully every year we open one.

[@loriseidmeyer2531]

My favorite Sonoma PN producer is Hartford. Martinelli is very good as well. I just recently went to Merry Edwards and was impressed with their offerings.

[@psjr327]

Awesome cuts to the maps, thanks!

[@vinoyay2662]

Great video! Love the Pinots from WS as well as theirWestside Road neighbor Arista. Checkout Three Sticks, winemaker/consultant was WS winemaker for many years.

[@ShakkaFL]

I've had the 2020 vintage of the Hirsch one and it was lovely

[@murataburanasiri6716]

Sonoma is my backyard. There are a lot of world class quality Pinot Noir from the area. They are very different Pinot from other regions. You explain Pinot from Sonoma and geography precisely. Keep up the good work. Stay thirsty!!

[@larsio72]

Thanks for another informative video. Of course a pinot noir video focussing on Burgundy from an expert’s perspective will be a highlight.

[@inferno323]

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir has been a favorite of mine of late! Specifically, I've had some excellent Pinot from the Fort Ross Seaview AVA within the Sonoma Coast AVA.

[@AlejandroPDX]

Haven’t had Pinot from Sonoma yet so this video came in handy!

[@eric1richards]

Oh man… Back in my wine rep days I had a really great book of California Pinot noirs. I sold the first bottles of Fort Ross winery to my market, and I recall thinking this was a really special winery. I had DeLoach in my bag, and their RR wines were always special. I had Etude and their Grace Benoist ranch wine was/is pretty amazing too. I had Clos Du Val, Spring Mountain Winery PN(super rare), Fantesca, and Macrostie. I am sure I am I forgetting a few. Great video!

[@texlad04]

I really liked Fort Ross when I had it in the past but it has been a minute. Thanks for the reminder.

[@gustavomgomes]

Hi Konstantin! I really would like to know how you fell about Kosta Browne pinot! Theater are in Sebastopol, and they vinify grapes from different sites of sonoma . They are some of the best of The region, but since they produce more concentrated Pinots I would like to know your side . Cheers !

[@frankoh9602]

@@gustavomgomesWith Michael Browne having left Kosta Browne the quality has gone down a bit. Browne started Cirq and second lable Chev which both are better than Kosta Browne...IMHO.

[@gustavomgomes]

@@frankoh9602 thanks for the info ! Last time I was in Sonoma Was 2020.

[@caroletrask6581]

I liked your explanation on Williams Selyem Rochioli vineyard, however, one of my favorites is Tom Rochioli's Estate Pinot Noir 2020. Prosit!

[@toddo37]

I work in wine in Sonoma. Great video! West Sonoma Coast is now an official AVA :D Awesome shout out to Redcar!

[@schmaniel86]

Hey Konstantin! Enjoyed the video! Have you explored any Pinots or Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley? I recommend Bergstrom, Flaneur, Kelley Fox, and Audeant!

[@planbprodigy]

rochioli has some beautiful wines, wish they kept more of their grapes 😉. I thought their Sauvignon Blanc was unique. Just tasted there in Sonoma yesterday lol, wish this video came out sooner. They brought out a Syrah which was pretty good

[@bradIeyyy]

I live in Washington State inside "Walla Walla AVA" and would love to see you review some " Columbia Valley AVA" Wine, I love that your videos are full of great info and information ! you really do your research, you deserves millions of subs 😀

[@TonyS-cm9xk]

Very Nice!

[@mitch_l]

As usual, great video! Kudos to you, Konstantin, for not being a Burgundy snob, like most of European sommeliers I've run into. CA pinot noir definitely has its place in the world of fine wines.

[@veroman007]

for that kind of money perhaps but an affordable burgundy is preferable to me than an affordable pn from cali. funny how there is no wrong answer however

[@MrSilviable]

Do you think CA wines have priced themselves out of contention?

[@robertdailey7248]

Perhaps. But they’re not worth the money. You can find a decent Burgundy for $25 and a very good one for $50. If you don’t spend at least $70 on a California pinot, it will be overly fruity with too much residual sugar. For example, I find Meiomi, California’s flagship pinot, to be utterly undrinkable.

[@MrSilviable]

@@robertdailey7248 this man is out here spittin fact!! I’m with you on meiomi. Think I ended up dumping it. I find almost all Cali wines have too much residual sugar for my preference. (Exceptions can be found in the cooler regions). But for price paid, there is no comparison that I’ve found between the quality of a $50 Burgundy vs a $50 Cali Pinot. Buuut… if someone has a honest Cali suggestion, I’m all ears

[@robertdailey7248]

@@MrSilviable After watching this video, I tried two Russian River Pinots that were dry and had a nice balance of tannins. I enjoyed them both. But they were in the $30-35 range. And I had to ask for guidance from the shop owner. Meanwhile, I can grab almost any Villages wine from Burgundy or a Nebbiolo from the Piedmont in the $20 range and be fairly confident that it will be perfectly satisfying. I go through 3-4 bottles of wine per week, so price point matters to me.

[@hocheye]

Great video! Love Pinot noir, all of the wine you reviewed would be $100- $300 a bottle here.A little BB out of my price range

[@eliotfreed5411]

This was a great deep dive into the Sonoma region, which I am very familiar with. However, I am a bit surprised that you did not include Marimar Estate which to me is one of the premier Russian River Pinot Noir‘s, and also at some more reasonable prices.

[@derekcontreras7494]

Great video Konstantin,Pinot from Sonoma when done right are some of my favorites. When does stand up for me is Paul Hobbs Katherine Lindsay Estate🥂

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Great producer!

[@michaelliberman8106]

Enjoyed the video. Big fan of Kistler and Albert PN

[@noahcap]

Great to see you feature this region. All the cool kids might be focused on Burgundy these days, and I like Burgundy as much as the next guy, but I also have a soft spot for Sonoma Pinots; I first got into wine visiting the Sonoma coast on vacation. Red Car and Williams Selyem are among my favorites, some others are Littorai, Raen, and Arista. Cheers!

[@evanhufford7912]

You have great taste! Have you checked out Ernest, Cobb, LaRue, Alma Fria, or Peay? I have a suspicion you're gonna love em!

[@noahcap]

@@evanhufford7912 Peay is great. haven't tried the others though. Thanks for recs, I'll check them out!

[@sherrieperkovich188]

Love it. you should check out the wines by Sojourn Cellars. You can do a tasting just of wines from the Petaluma Gap if you wish and taste 4 different Pinots from this new AVA. They also make wines from north to south in the Sonoma Coast.

[@bmm8467]

I like Copain and Porter Creek from Sonoma. Keep the videos coming K!

[@vegasrenie]

In the United States, the Central Coast of California, Sonoma coast, and Willamette in Oregon have world class Pinots in my opinion. I've had some of those that you tasted (including the somewhat budget busting Williams Selyem) and have found them to be lovely. There are a few wineries in the Santa Barbara area that also have Pinot Noir of equal quality in my opinion. The one oddball Pinot is Windward in Paso Robles that is very Burgundian and will make you do a double take. A few years ago I was attending a class held by a Master Somm (one of the disgraced ones so I won't mention his name) and we were arguing over the origin of a particular Pinot. Some believed it was from California some - myself included - thought it was from Burgundy. The MS stood there chuckling at us. As it turned out, it was from Willamette. His words of wisdom were, and I quote, "if you can't decide whether or not a Pinot is from Burgundy or California, it's probably from Oregon." I thought that was hilarious and for the most part, it has held true.

[@archiiebarrett]

Konstantin, I'm from New Jersey here in the states. The wines from here in Jersey are absolutely fantastic some very unique blends and weather. A couple favorites of mine are the Chambourcin from Fox Hollow Vineyards, and the Sangiovese from Working Dog Winery. Sharott makes a great Port called Wicked too.

[@prccap]

I’m in NJ too and unfortunately we have way more bad wines then good ones. Much like our beer lol

[@prccap]

Hawk Haven Gewurztraminer is our state flagship imo

[@aglass7539]

Would love to see you do a wine film review of all the films about wines, from the cheesy to serious ones. Would be intrigued to hear your ratings on them.

[@epixeltwin]

Konstantin, you should give Anderson valley Pinot Noirs a taste! A less well-known wine region but nonetheless great

[@_Seppixx]

I really enjoy this video. I worked for William Selyem in 2019 and also visited the Schug winery because a friend of me worked there during my studies. Just awesome experience I still have some bottles left of William Selyem. I wonder how you are able to get this wine because they only sell there wines in the USA and not shipping them anywhere :)

[@MrDotBones]

its interesting how even though i cant stand wine im more of a whiskey guy but even more so cocktails but he still makes it interesting and captivating to watch

[@solomonmengeu1003]

Another great video Konstantin and I am always very happy to watch any video about Spatburgunder/PN. I don't think the "Sideways" effect was the only factor in the global meteoric rise of PN. I think it also has to do with people's palates changing and also our diet, as PN can be paired with fish, poultry, game, vegetables. Unlike CS, Syrah or some of the full-bodied cultivars that go best with steak or other heavy, fatty meats. As to Sonoma PNs I've only had two so far, in my WSET L2 course back in 2014, both from the Russian River Valley. The first one was "Les Belles Collines" Russian River Valley, Sonoma county 2012, which well made, wasn't showing good typicity for a PN, IMO. The 2nd one was Marimar Estate "Don Miguel Vineyard" RRV, "La Masia" 2009, made by Miguel Torres daughter. As I recall it was biodynamic and it had all of the notes of great PN in my book: sour cherries, forest floor, earthy, savory, bramble etc. Since then I haven't had any Sonoma County/Coast PN as being in Asia (Taiwan) whatever the wine costs in Europe or the U.S. is usually double or often triple the original price. I have a few California PNs that were enjoyable, but Sonoma especially the hills right next to the Pacific seems to be one of the best places for PN in California, though I have read great things about Sta. Rita Hills in the Central Coast as well.

[@dilly2j]

The En Route Russian River Valley Pinot from Far Niente might be my favorite wine I’ve had to date. Super complex.

[@MrGenaralHummus]

Thank you Konstantin for not mentioning any of the Pinot of Anderson Valley, we need to keep the region under the radar and keep the prices good ;)

[@laurenhodgson2240]

passive aggressive??

[@stefanrudigerrill4120]

I love the Pinots from Freeman Winery. Great quality :)

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

I agree!

[@xslash10x]

I'm surprised you didn't include Kosta Browne in this video. It's the benchmark for quality Pinot from Sonoma or all of CA for that matter.

[@ronmcmartin4513]

I agree. I'm also surprised no Rochioli from Rochioli--thicker, darker without the flamboyance of Wms-Selyem. I like Walter Hansel, similar to the Hirsch profile

[@dannyulloa8309]

Pretty sure Marcassin takes that benchmark

[@ronmcmartin4513]

@@dannyulloa8309--I agree, but Marcassin, Screagle(Cab), Sine Qua Non(Grenache/Syrah) are such small-production Cults, they kinda don't count. Bordeaux 1st Growths produce 10-20,000 case each year. Even DRC produces 6000 Cases. Petrus, 2500 cases. I'd say Kistler, Aubert, Peter Michael would be benchmarks for both Ch & PN, in sufficient quantities.

[@ghettobougieahjoomab8663]

Literally WS Rochioli has been the most memorable PN I've ever had. It filled our kitchen with Beautiful aromas within seconds of uncorking. Red Car has great characteristics as I remember.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

So good!

[@adrie2396]

My very favorite from California is Frey Vineyards. The Pinot is beautiful. ❤

[@xysoniaable]

I would highly recommend Littorai and Rochioli! Very different styles, but really the pinnacle of Sonoma.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Both great choices

[@nonspecifie4351]

Thank you for your review of wines from my backyard. Like all regions, without visiting you can't find the real gem producers not just the "big names"

[@hydenshribby]

Konstantin: "The vines are from 1989, so pretty old vines" Me, born in 1989: 😞

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Don't worry... you're not a vine

[@peterwright837]

I’m not a Pinot fan mostly because I don’t know how to reliably find good Pinots. However, I did recently discover a Sonoma Pinot that I thought was great. It’s from a bit further north in Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley AVA. It’s the 2019 Special Reserve Pinot Noir from Reeve Wines, which I bought from the winery for $78 per bottle after a tasting at the beautiful winery near Healdsburg.

[@Javierlopez-md5js]

You should definitely try Joseph Phelps Proem # 1 and Proem # 2 .. or the Quarter Moon … these 3 PN from Joseph Phelps are absolutely divine

[@pt79dk]

Most elegant I have tried so far is Kosta Browne!

[@epixeltwin]

Favorite Sonoma Pinot: Swan Vineyards, Trenton estate. Runner-up: Merry Edwards Coopersmith.

[@alessandroortiz]

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is some of my favorite stuff. The character these wines gain by being planted in the volcanic soils of the hills next to the pacific, the lightness, the freshness, fragrance, and delicate structure. I have to recommend Cobb for anyone who's interested, it's very special stuff. La Rue is another small winery that hits the spot with some delicate, complex pinots. I opened one of their first vintage, from 2009, a couple months ago, phenomenal. The only downside is the price, the $70 starting price range is pretty typical for most of these single-vineyard coastal wines.

[@evanhufford7912]

You and I have the same two favorite CA Pinot producers! Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson are extraordinary winemakers. I will say there isn't a lot of volcanic soil out there, that's mostly in Napa. Lots of Franciscan shale, and more Goldridge as you come a little inland. Although it's impossible to pin down the area to one soil type, the area is an absolute mosaic of soil series, as is Napa.

[@martintabis8917]

High quality review as always... small issue is... that here in Slovakia I am not able to buy such a wine. Wines from US are almost unassailable here in Slovakia. BDW. Have you been thinking to make a review of wine from our region? or Tokay /Hungarian vs Slovakian/? I can give you a hand If you would like to review these regions. Keep doing such a good reviews. I like it!

[@benjaminlamson1902]

Fantastic video. I'd love to see you do the "The BEST of WILLAMETTE Pinot Noir"!! IMHO Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra is making the best Pinot Noir in the US right now.

[@ericshort1316]

Konstantin, I'm wondering if you tried any Papapietro Perry pinot noirs when you were in Sonoma. Their tasting room is in Dry Creek Valley outside of Healdsburg and they source their pinot grapes from the Russian River, Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast AVAs. My wife and I stumbled across them on a trip to Sonoma in 2021 and they quickly became our favorite pinot makers.

[@tarawalker7193]

I cannot recall if I have had a Sonoma pinot, but I am especially interested in finding some now.

[@philippedemecheleer2381]

Another great video! Unfortunately I never had the chance to taste pinot noir from California. With all these interesting wines I really get FOMO 😉

[@user-hs3hm1lc1l]

I recommend using winebid. Tons of great Sonoma wines to choose from. Have it shipped out.

[@arunravindran9621]

Love Roadhouse from Healdsberg

[@ryansilverman7689]

Hey Konstantin! My vote is for Merry Edwards!! It’s so good, you have to try! (Russian River valley)

[@MDL-lw9my]

Great tasting! My favorite is Steve Kistler’s Occidental label. Fantastic structure, balance, and concentration. Cheers 🥂

[@user-hs3hm1lc1l]

It is outstanding wine. But, for the money, I prefer Siduri, Arista, Macrostie, Flowers, Brulium, Roadhouse, Walter Hansel, Boheme, and Paul Matthews. Sonoma is so rich when it comes to outstanding Pinot!

[@MDL-lw9my]

Agreed. Occidental falls into the category (for me at least) of special occasion wine. I do not open them unless I am celebrating something. They are special, and more complex. More expensive but definitely worth the money IMO. Cheers 🥂

[@Lebowski55]

It would be cool if you did a similar video focusing on Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir.

[@miguelcarrillo202]

Would love you to try some of the Kosta Browne Pinots that are setting a bar in scarcity and high desire to purchase. Would love to hear what you think. I have been a member of their mailing list for almost 15 years. Also, I love some of the Pinots from Walt in Sonoma, a sister winery to Hall winery in Napa Valley

[@maggiereedy4079]

It's Flower's Seaview Ridge that does it for me.

[@tommygoff16]

Gary Farrell Lancel Creek Pinot from the Russian River Valley or Patz & Hall Jenkins Vineyard from the Sonoma Coast.

[@ajaxhero2004]

Konstantin could you do a PN session for Central Otago. After all in 2000 Gibbston Valley was top PN in the world, we beat the Burgundians! Central Otago is a stunning area of New Zealand. Brannockburn (a sub-region of CO) has just recently gained it’s geographical identification. Love what you are doing on your clips btw.

[@lancefranklin9425]

Excellent video and great timing, I will fit a daytrip in for Sonoma in January, so thank you everyone for your suggestions! Does anyone have any great Syrah suggestions for Sonoma as well? Being Australian, I am quite partial to a cooler climate Syrah.

[@BigBobDookie]

Pax. Good stuff there.

[@evanhufford7912]

Actually Red Car also makes some of the tastiest Syrah in Sonoma, from their estate coastal vineyard out in Fort Ross-Seaview. I highly recommend hitting up their tasting room in Sebastopol. I also highly recommend checking out the Peay Vineyards wines. They make stunning, floral Syrahs from their foggy and cool estate vineyard on the northern end of the Sonoma Coast.

[@maudgenthe1503]

Martinelli Winery makes cool climate Syrahs. Call them to make an appointment. Look up Wine Advocate and Vinous.They are known for their killer Pinots. They own all their vineyards including Fort Ross Seaview. You wont be disappointed.

[@spyrosandreopoulos5922]

Funny. I gave the Schug 92 points, having visited the estate and bought it there. Claudia and Johannes are really nice.

[@vaporizer1000]

I have some plant of pino noir. But for me it is always looks like water. Even in this video it also looks like water. I know about pino tanins is more sharp etc. But it is anyway water. And as always have a nice day.

[@user-hs3hm1lc1l]

Good video, as usual. Next time, perhaps you can visit some of the really good wineries, like Siduri, Arista, Macrostie, Flowers, Brulium, Roadhouse, Walter Hansel, Kistler, Occidental, Boheme, Paul Matthews, on and on. Sonoma is so rich when it comes to outstanding Pinot!

[@SpartacusSF]

Another big thumbs up for Paul Mathew, Macrostie, and Flowers

[@philipbilney6116]

Fascinating video, thank you. I wonder if you have had an opportunity to try any of Ted Lemon's wines at Littorai? I find his single vineyard PN's amongst the finest and most terror-driven in the AVA.

[@KonstantinBaumMasterofWine]

Yes I have. I am actually sitting on a panel with him at an event in November

[@xXpapercutsXx]

Now do Oregon! And please tie in my personal favorite, Eyrie :) their 2019 estate is drinking great right now, just finished a bottle I had open last night!

[@rjejames28]

There are so many world class pinots in Oregon. If you drive through you see how many small batch pinots you won't find anywhere. The Willamette Carlton area.

[@joe-zp7ge]

Best pinot ive experienced was a 2011 and 2013 kosta browne ! on the same level as the selyem!

[@kennethdias9988]

Santa Burgandy ( Barbara) county in California makes great Pinot and Chardonnay

[@robdielemans9189]

How much does the performance PN differ from the Riedel New World PN? I have the latter and found out that it is incidentally the perfect glass for Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout beers. Pinot Noir has become the second best grape in the world for me. Great video as always :)

[@mcwine18]

Oh nice! Can you do the best of Oregon Pinot please? 🙏🏻🍷

[@rjejames28]

These California pinots will seem like PBR compared to Oregon lol.

[@dangcjr]

This is a great review, you missed one of the best Aubert, if you decide to follow this up with Chardonnay you must include Aubert as they are amazing and likely the highest rated on average with multiple 99 and 100pt wines.

[@silasrobertshaw8122]

Ahhh we carry Williams Selyem at work. The wine is wonderful, but expensive, even their entry level stuff.

[@jasonbuchanan7885]

Del Dotto Vinyards has a killer Fort Ross sea view Pinot available 🍷

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Nice KB… I’m familiar with all those producers and must say that while they are good, I prefer the Pinots from Santa Barbara County a bit more. The Sonoma Pinots have this ‘Cool Whip’ (American whipped cream brand) flavor that sticks out to me… That being said, I’m pretty impressed with Sojourn’s Gap’s Crown Vineyard.

[@chriswiseman5985]

Awesome you are rating Sonoma Pinot Noir - how did they compare/rate vs the Spatbagunder German Pinot Noir?

[@brett327]

Fun geology fact... The San Andreas generates earthquakes, but not volcanoes. Subducting plates, as seen further north in OR and WA generate the stratovolcanoes that make up the Cascades range.

[@jonathanzanephillips]

I am very interested in your thoughts on the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA?

[@peterburlin8198]

Remember drinking a few amazing Cali Pinos when travelling through there a few years back. Now I almost never drink them. The high end offerings are too rare and expensive and while Burgundy’s pricy too (obviously) the availability is much greater meaning relative bargains are easier to find.

[@markrussellfilaroski5035]

Not the same except region but Solvang area is amazing. Rip Jim C Au Bon Climate. Plus the hitching post is an amazing restaurant. 😆

[@user-lb2gv1wb9d]

I LOVE AU BON CLIMAT Jesus all their wines are so good

[@thehaydencorley]

Add Patz & Hall, Etude, Bouchaine and Hanzell to the list!

[@laurenhodgson2240]

Now youre speaking Lauren-ese. Love a good Sonoma pinot when they dont try to lean in too hard on that cherry cola. Anywho, you nailed one of my favorite Sonoma pinots with Williams Seylem (5 schnitzel stars to you). I also like some stuff from Gary Farrell and Walt, but what do I know. Im just some chick from Kansas City. #Grunauer

[@wayne530]

Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but they carved out a section of the Sonoma Coast AVA that actually runs along the coast and it became one of CA's newest AVAs: West Sonoma Coast. Not sure if the Hirsch vineyard falls into this or not.

[@evanhufford7912]

It definitely does! The coastal Fort Ross-Seaview appelation is entirely within the new West Sonoma Coast AVA.

[@user-hs3hm1lc1l]

Boheme, Paul Matthews, and Occidental come to mind. Outstanding wines.

[@timothyhilton3408]

While William Selym is one of the top Pinot house's in Sonoma County, right up there with them Is Kosta-Browne, Chev and Cirq and an honorable mention to Hartford Court.

[@mc5no4stp]

You should try this exercise again with Kosta Browne, Littorai, and Merry Edwards.

[@stulewallen8680]

Add Brooks Note and Lynmar to that list!

[@geoffreywren2053]

My gripe with the current California Pinot Noirs is that they tend, like so many of California wines nowadays, to be grapes picked as late as possible and highly extracted, and thus end up with alcohol pushing 14%, if not over. In other words, gone down the road that Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel has gone down. If the industry was the coffee industry, there would only be espresso and no pour-overs. That must be the way they teach it at UC Davis. In that general region, Husch Pinot Noir (13.3% alcohol), Anderson Valley, is a reliable bottle. Not competing in the same price range, but very good vin ordinaire.

[@TheEDDL]

i really do like the area and the wines. i try to travel there at least once in 2 years, and everytime i come back the prices for good wine increased exponentially. To be honest ,if you live in Europe and are bound to the market here i see no reason to buy thoose wines, they are nice and they might even have a special terroir to them, but at the recent price point i am waiving.

[@matthewp-ton3616]

any recommendations for a Pinot from this region that would fall in the under $40 range? Are there vineyards nearby or adjacent that may be great examples without the markup of having name recognition?

[@Txv833]

My favour Pinot Noir from Sonoma is Hanzell.

[@mr-vet]

Both the US state of Washington and Oregon have excellent Pinot noirs

[@miso56]

these bottles were some special selection or the price in usa for these wines is higher as for comparable wines for example from france in europe?