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Senses, Russian River Pinot Noir

Other, United States 2017 (750mL)
$55.00
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Senses, Russian River Pinot Noir

Last year, we were thrilled to discover Senses, a new, buzzed-about label that exploded onto the scene and achieved a cult-like status in record time. What do I mean by that? Well, for one, thousands of people on their mailing list are now having to wait years just to buy their wines—tiny production versus consistently high scores and demand will do that. As such, it’s no surprise that the 2016 vintage we offered last year sold out in a matter of hours, and because of that, the good guys over at Senses bundled up an exclusive (albeit small) allocation for today’s 2017. We count ourselves lucky!
What also makes this a gotta-have label is the man crafting the wine behind it: Thomas Rivers Brown. One of the most decorated winemakers in the world, Thomas has been a critics’ darling over his entire career. Finally, it’s worth noticing the “secret” site used for this Russian River fruit—Burgundy isn’t the only special terroir for Pinot Noir! Today’s wine was sourced from the vineyard previously known as Keefer Ranch (now Perry Ranch), a time-honored, sustainably farmed site that has provided grapes to esteemed labels like Failla, Siduri, and Kosta Browne. Senses' exceptional 2017 is high-class Pinot that competes with California’s all-stars at an oh-so-friendly price. And, it's your one shot to obtain a bottle without having to endure their years-long mailing list wait. Have we made our point yet? Get it while it’s hot—well, it’ll always be hot, so get it while you can! 
Senses was created at the grassroots level in 2011 when three close-knit childhood friends from Occidental pooled their savings to produce 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 Christopher Strieter, Max Thieriot, and Myles Lawrence-Briggs: In seven short years, their range has been eagerly accepted by the press and restaurants alike. 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 unknown, small-production label has instantly 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 13-acre vineyard was first planted in 1996 and sits on “Goldridge” soil—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 funneled through 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. 

The 2017 vintage was fiercely hot, so picking the right harvest date was crucial. The Senses team put their parcel under a microscope and made a game-time decision. Their vigilance was rewarded: The ultra-ripe Pinot Noir was bursting with concentrated flavor without veering into over-ripe territory. In the winery, the entire crop was de-stemmed and the juice underwent a completely natural fermentation before aging one year in new (10%) and used French oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Senses’ 2017 Russian River Pinot Noir is a luxurious California treat. It has Burgundian finesse and freshness but ultimately reveals a hedonistic core of supple, über-ripe fruit that pulls you directly to its world-class, northern California terroir. The wine flaunts a dark ruby-violet that shimmers with a bright ruby-pink rim. Within seconds of hitting the glass, seductive aromas waft upwards: black cherries, black raspberry liqueur, violets, red plums, cola nut, forest floor, crushed river rock and rose petal, and a mouthwatering concoction of baking spices. Still, don’t mistake all this lushness for a lack of complexity—quite the contrary. As the wine opens (we tracked it over three hours), gorgeous mineral and savory nuances emerge alongside the fruit-studded finish. What a spectacular showing yet again from this small, world-class team. Block off a night with your significant other, serve in your largest Burgundy stems around 60 degrees, and enjoy it with seared duck breast with cherries. Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
Other
Sub-Region
United StatesRussian River Valley
Soil
Goldrige (Sandy Loam)
Farming
Certified Organic
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
14.5
OAK
10% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Large Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2027+
Decanting
60 Minutes
Pairing
Seared Duck Breast w/ Cherries

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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