2016 Fort Ross Vineyards Sea Slopes by Fort Ross Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Pinot Noir From The Land Where Only the Bold Dare

Today’s 2016 Sea Slopes Pinot Noir—silky and juicy, blending forest floor complexity with ethereal raspberry and dried herb aromatics—is the answer to the Pinot bargain hunters’ prayers.

“Another terrific value,” raved Jeb Dunnuck, citing the “salty, marine-like minerality” of Fort Ross Winery’s signature coastal Pinot, and concluding: “Bravo.”

Winemaking on the extreme edge of the Sonoma Coast is not for the faint-hearted. In fact, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA is notorious for making exquisite wines born of wild, rugged terroir and labor-intensive techniques. Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery, like fellow regional heavyweights Siduri, Peter Michael, Martinelli, and Hirsch, produces high-scoring Burgundian varieties of purity and finesse. 

Those who succeed at eking tiny, concentrated berries out of these harsh conditions—rocky soils, high altitudes, craggy coasts pounded by surf—tend be uncompromising, hard-headed types. Of the unspoiled 27,500 acres available in the AVA, just a tiny fraction—555-—are actually useable. An unpredictable maritime climate, tricky, steep pitches, fog dense as pea soup, and intermittent sunshine all complicate the winemaker’s task.

All that land’s-end labor usually translates into higher prices and limited production, often mailing-list only, making this region a favorite among deep-pocketed Pinot connoisseurs who prefer their wine with a wild streak.

Fort Ross Vineyard’s winemaker is Jeff Pisoni, who has California Pinot Noir in his blood: He grew up watching his father Gary Pisoni (who helped put Central Coast Pinot Noir on the map) making stellar wines. He has parlayed that legacy into Fort Ross winery, which upends the regional status quo by delivering weeknight-priced Pinots with all the flavor and complexity of mailing-list-only rarities.

Jeb Dunnuck calls Pisoni’s releases “rock-solid across the board” and “terrific values.” Robert Parker gushed over the “impressive Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs that merit serious attention,” adding, “these are all impressive wines sold at extremely fair prices.” Wine Enthusiast mirrored the rest of the critics, honoring the ‘16 Sea Slopes as an Editor’s Choice and declaring it “an impressive selection from winemaker Jeff Pisoni.”

If you can’t make the trip to Sonoma and Fort Ross-Seaview, this bottle—a precise distillation of the rugged terroir, infused with maritime freshness and coastal minerality—is the next best thing to feeling the salt spray on your face at the edge of the Pacific, the rocky soil beneath your feet, the cool fog brushing by your jacket. Aged nine months in French oak, 15% new, immediately accessible and elegant, this is as pure as Sonoma Coast Pinot gets for under-$40.