Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson (Cobb Wines; Hirsch; LaRue) are rock star California winemakers, and for this wine, they’ve teamed up with an actual rock star—Les Claypool, bassist and singer for the band Primus (and a passionate wine guy to boot). One might be inclined to overlook Claypool Cellars as a vanity project, but after learning more about it, and tasting the wine, you will change your tune:
This is a family passion project, with Les’ wife, Chaney, leading the charge; they have lived in west Sonoma wine country for more than 25 years, developing a deep connection with the place and some of its greatest grape-growers. This bottling from the high-elevation Hurst Vineyard, a site in the Sebastopol hills, says ‘Russian River Valley’ but drinks more like ‘Sonoma Coast,’ with a genuine cool-climate mix of bright fruit, acid, and perfumed aromas. Les may be one of the great ‘slap-bass’ players of all time, but his wine plays more like a twinkling mandolin—and we salute him for it! This is a serious California Pinot Noir that doesn’t need any celebrity ‘shine’ to sell it; it stands on its own as a delicious expression of west Sonoma county.
We contacted Ross Cobb for a little background on the Claypool project, which he and Wilson have been involved with since 2012. Ross is one of the masters of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, and he also acknowledges how sprawling the Sonoma Coast AVA is in its current form—it effectively stretches the length of the county, and extends inland to places that may not appear coastal, even if they do feel a significant Pacific Ocean influence. The Hurst vineyard, he explained, is at a high elevation (500+ feet) in the gorgeous Sebastopol Hills in western Sonoma County, which are technically part of the Russian River Valley AVA. In looking at a map, these hills are in the southwest corner of the Russian River Valley, hugging the official boundary with the Sonoma Coast AVA. “It kind of straddles the two appellations,” Ross said. “Another interesting feature of Hurst is that it’s east-facing. It takes in morning sun, which gives us a good ripeness profile without a big spike in alcohol.” It’s worth noting that Claypool’s 2013 from Hurst is a very modest 13% alcohol.
On the “technical” side, this small-production bottling—only 150 cases were made—was aged for 16 months in barrels, only a quarter of which were new. It then spent another year-plus in bottle before release. Extended bottle aging like this is very rare in California wine today, and its effects are readily evident in the glass—the wine feels well-knit, integrated, and complete. “It’s an ideal situation if you can afford to do it,” Ross noted, adding that the 2013 is the winery’s current release.
In the glass, the Claypool Cellars 2013 “Pachyderm” from the Hurst Vineyard is a deep ruby with hints of purple at the rim. The aromatics are a perfumed mix of black cherry, wild raspberry, pomegranate, rose petals, violets, exotic baking spices, and the slightest hint of vanilla (the oak influence is really barely perceptible). There isn’t any of the syrupy extract sometimes found in Russian River Valley Pinot—for all of its forward fruit, it is bright and buoyant thanks to its ample acidity. This is definitely approaching its peak now and over the next few years, but I would be intrigued to taste in in a decade from now as I feel it has the balance to last. It is wonderfully refined, with a fragrant and lengthy finish. Serve it in Burgundy stems at around 60 degrees.
One of the greatest pairings of all time with Pinot Noir is Roast Duck, and when you bring a sweet component into the dish (in this case red currant jelly), it lends the perfect compliment to a well balanced Californian rendition like this. This particular Fire Roasted Duck
recipe, from the founders of the legendary Joe Beef in Montreal, is simple and delicious. (tip: if you have never been to Joe Beef, it is a bucket list restaurant and a reason to go to Montreal.)
