2017 Fort Ross Vineyards Sea Slopes Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

In the Sonoma Coast’s windswept Fort Ross-Seaview AVA—dotted with prized heavyweights like Peter Michael, Flowers, Hirsch, and Peay—Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery is proving to be a standout sensation, and their cool-climate, high-elevation Pinot Noirs command similarly steep $80+ prices.

It’s hard to find bargains anywhere in this formidable terroir, but Fort Ross Winery made it happen in 2017 with this 92-point Editors’ Choice Sea Slopes Pinot Noir, which Wine Enthusiast called an “outstanding value for the quality.” At $25, we can’t think of a better entry point to this sensational coastal appellation—home to three of the Wine Advocate’s five historic 100-point scores for Sonoma Pinot Noir.

The Fort Ross estate is famed for being closer to the roaring Pacific than any other vineyard in California, and you can taste that coastal energy in every sip of this wine. Wild, high-toned notes of fresh plum, Bing cherry, violet, and ruby grapefruit give rise to hibiscus, black tea, and a little earthy cola—just enough to remind you that the Russian River empties into the Pacific only seven miles directly south of this vineyard.

Buoyant and juicy from start to finish, the refreshing acidity plays beautifully with wispy, tea leaf-esque tannins through a deeply satisfying finish.

Perched on precipitous, rugged ridges at elevations of up to 1,800 feet, the Fort Ross vineyard clings to the edge of the continent. It overlooks scenic Bodega Bay and floats above the coastal fog, coaxing its temperamental Sea Slopes Pinot Noir vines into ripe perfection. Surrounded by forests and meadows, the grapes are lavished with rays of bright sunshine in the afternoon before the fog rolls back in at night, accounting for the bright fruit tones in the wine while maintaining its elegant lift.

In 1988, husband-and-wife team Lester and Linda Schwartz purchased this untamed section of virgin forest and grasslands in the high coastal ridges of the Sonoma coast despite the academics who told them it was too risky to plant a vineyard there.

Undeterred, they sequestered 55 prime acres for planting grape vines and set out to prove the doubters wrong.

Almost 20 years later, their efforts paid off when they caught the attention of winemaker Jeff Pisoni, who comes from one of California’s most critically acclaimed Pinot Noir growing families in California. Pisoni was dining at the Ritz Carlton when he was offered a glass of ruby-red Fort Ross Pinot Noir. It was a loaded moment. Pisoni has a brilliant palate, but is notoriously difficult to please. Yet that evening, he was blown away by the estate-grown Fort Ross Pinot Noir.

Pisoni immediately tracked down Lester and got him on the phone. Within months, Pisoni was on the payroll, and 2009 was his first vintage for Fort Ross. Since then, critics like Robert M. Parker Jr. have described Fort Ross wines as “profound Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs that merit serious attention,” calling them “impressive wines sold at extremely fair prices.”

At $25, this 2017 Sea Slopes Pinot is an absolute steal compared to its Fort Ross big brothers from the same exact vineyard, let alone the sticker-shock $200+ prices of the heavyweights just across the ridge. For lovers of graceful cool-climate Pinot Noir, this ethereal Sonoma Coast beauty simply can’t be matched for the money.