Lester and Linda Schwartz fell in love with California’s West Sonoma Coast the same way I did—hiking the foggy, coastal ridges and staring into the Pacific’s sapphire depths. They had the ambition and foresight to purchase a section of virgin forest and grasslands, perched thousands of feet above the ocean, and many years later, today’s ethereal Pinot Noir is our reward. For all its elegance and delicacy, this still-evolving 2013 is also an exclamation point—a monumental declaration of this region’s viability as one of the world’s great Pinot Noir terroirs. 

“Symposium” hails from their namesake vineyard, the Fort Ross Vineyard, probably one of the closest vineyards to the ocean in all of California, if not the United States. It’s pinned between the sea and the sky, and the fruit concentrates to an unbelievable degree of refinement and intensity while also holding on to the invaluable freshness a long growing season provides. This is Pinot Noir with personality and power, perfectly softened by seven years of evolution: It’s just starting to show some gentle tertiary flavors—fresh black truffles and that ineffable touch of sous bois (“under wood” in French) that characterizes my favorite mature Pinots from Burgundy. And, perhaps most notably, this landmark wine offers unparalleled value in a region where prices have climbed steadily alongside the international recognition. This must not be missed!

Fort Ross is so named for its coastal home town, an area that hadn’t been widely explored for viticulture when Lester and Linda Schwartz started poking around. When they began planting their first vineyard in 1988, some experts warned that it was too risky to plant grapes in such a marginal, ocean-adjacent climate. Nevertheless, they proceeded to experiment with clones, rootstocks, and trellising systems and carefully honed in on the property's ability to produce outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Lester and Linda are still heavily involved in vineyard operations, and thinned this particular vineyard three separate times in anticipation of an exemplary harvest. 

The grapes for this Pinot Noir were handpicked at dawn. Winemaker Jeff Pisoni (yes, of the legendary Pisoni family, masters of Pinot Noir!) chooses to cold-soak the fruit for several days before fermentation in small, open-top tanks. The Symposium was aged for 11 months in French oak barrels. The wine integrates 25% new French oak without losing any transparency or focus, and the wood coaxes out a softer, spicier side of the wine that isn’t initially apparent. The wines at Fort Ross are always barreled separately according to clones and vineyard lots to maintain distinctive flavor profiles before a thoughtful and extensive blending process. There’s a little “easter egg” in this particular blend as well: four percent Pinotage, a nod to the owner’s South African roots and a wonderful trick for preserving color and density over time. 

The 2013 vintage has earned a stellar reputation for a reason. Heavy winter rains, a warm Spring, and a dry Summer provided the base for an extraordinary harvest of highly concentrated grapes. And as its name suggests, Symposium is a complex, stimulating wine composed of many subtle layers of flavor and texture. Its dusty glow seems to emanate from the center of the glass itself, raw ruby. The initial notes are distinctly savory—leather-bound books, black truffles, and warm mulling spices form a rather earthy, brooding miasma. The primary notes of blackberry bramble are tempered by seven years of gentle transformation from fresh fruits to gently stewed strawberry. Nevertheless, the core is as energetic and finely balanced as the day it was bottled. Notes of dried orange rind, patchouli, cranberry juice, and cool earth form a sumptuous wave of flavor that crescendos gently before a long, satiny finish of fine tannin and warm minerals. This is the perfect accompaniment to a hot shepherd’s pie with a thick, cheesy crust and lots of earthy veggies. Cozy up, and keep the bottle close—this Pinot will warm every nook and cranny.