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Senses, Russian River Pinot Noir

Other, United States 2016 (750mL)
$49.00
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Senses, Russian River Pinot Noir

We were extremely lucky to have received an allocation of Sense’s newly-released 2016 Russian River Pinot because their already extended mailing list is currently backlogged 12 to 18 months. Today, you have the opportunity to bypass the line and jump right up front to purchase their incredibly serious and refined Russian River Valley Pinot Noir made by a sensational winemaking mind: Thomas Rivers Brown.
One of the most decorated winemakers in the world, Thomas is synonymous for crafting highly praised wines for myriad luxury labels that have garnered more than 25 perfect scores over his career. Furthermore, Thomas’ heart and soul lies with Burgundy, so masterfully crafting balanced, intricately perfumed Pinot Noir is his true calling card—making him a perfect fit for Senses. A bonus disclosure for all you knowledgeable California lovers: Today’s wine is sourced from the vineyard previously known as Keefer Ranch (now Perry Ranch), a time-honored site that has provided grapes to esteemed labels like Failla, Siduri, and Kosta Browne. All in all, this utterly beautiful Pinot revitalizes my outlook for Sonoma Pinot Noir by proving it can compete with the all-time greats. Whatever your perception of Russian River Pinot is, Senses is on another level altogether. Think of Domaine de la Cote, Cobb, Tyler, and Rhys in terms of comparable taste experiences, which often evoke memories of high-end, high-priced Burgundy. Don’t miss this wine! If you do, you’ll have to walk back to the end of the line and (probably) pay more by the time you reach the front again!
This buzzed-about label was formed at the grassroots level in 2011 when three close-knit childhood friends from Occidental poured in their savings to produce a mere 100 cases by hand: They farmed the grapes, crafted the wine, and began cold-calling and restaurant peddling without any outside help. And this hustle paid off for Chris Strieter, Max Thieriot, and Myles Lawrence-Briggs: In seven short years, their range has been eagerly accepted by elite publications while consistently garnering high praise. With the addition of winemaking phenom Thomas Rivers Brown in 2013, who is responsible for crafting wine for superstar labels like Schrader, Maybach, and Rivers-Marie (his own label), their once small-production label has quickly become an underground sensation. 

As mentioned, today’s Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was entirely sourced from Perry Ranch, a site formerly known as Keefer Ranch, which sits in the epicenter of Sonoma’s prime real estate: Green Valley AVA. This prime 13-acre vineyard was first planted in 1996 and enjoys “Goldridge” soils; a unique sandy loam that slowly formed millions of years ago after surfacing from receding seawaters. It’s also one of the colder areas in all of Sonoma due to thick fogs generated by the Petaluma Gap. This climate can create wines of Burgundian nature, especially when grapes are organically farmed and crafted by an expert winemaker who allows fruit purity and terroir to shine over alcohol and ripeness—like Senses. For 2016, their Pommard and 114 clones were harvested by hand, destemmed, and underwent a completely natural fermentation before aging in new (~15%) and used French oak. It was bottle unfined and unfiltered. 

Senses’ 2016 Russian River reveals a dense, nearly opaque dark ruby with violet accents leading out to a soft pink rim. From nose to palate, the wine is all about purity, showing beautiful aromas of fresh-picked lilac, violets, herbs, and roses, all blended with a wonderful assortment of wild fruits. You can expect black cherry blossoms, black raspberry, Damson plums, forest floor, and white tea leaf, rounded out by subtle baking spice complexities. The palate is supple and perfectly ripe, thanks to a structure that provides smooth, fine-grained tannins and a refreshing lift. Minerality and slight floral accents shine alongside a fruit-studded finish that fills your mouth and lingers well over a minute. Senses smells and drinks like a seamless high ticket Pinot from a long-established producer. There is no “planned obsolescence” here—this is built to age over the next decade and beyond. If consuming a bottle now, which is highly recommended, either open it a few hours before or decant for 30 minutes and pour into your largest Burgundy stems just above cellar temp (~60F). Pair the attached canard aux framboises dish in order to create a truly memorable evening. Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
Other
Sub-Region
United StatesRussian River Valley
Farming
Certified Organic
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
14.1
OAK
~15% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Large Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2026
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Canard aux Framboises

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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