2018 Twomey Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 750 ml

The Duncan family of Silver Oak has epitomized California Cabernet for 50 years. But one sip of their 2018 Twomey Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River will convince you that they built their world-class reputation on Pinot Noir. 

Their irresistible, crimson-hued Pinot packs a level of smooth sophistication that competes with California cult wines that retail for $100 per bottle—twice the cost of this Russian River Valley classic. That’s why Seattle’s iconic Canlis, SF’s Park Tavern, and Michelin-starred wine country temples SingleThread and Madrona Manor all list Twomey alongside Grand Cru Burgundies and cult classics like Kosta Browne and Williams Selyem.

Grown in the flawless 2018 season, this is Twomey’s gorgeous interpretation of the Russian River’s incomparable Pinot Noir: subtle and earthy tobacco and sage, with explosive notes of black cherry cola and rose petals oozing from the glass. Textural depth, satiny tannins, and graphite minerality delivered with the soft-edged touch of the family that defines California winemaking, we’ve got it straight from the winery at $50, less than half of what a taste of this crimson-hued Pinot would cost at any of the restaurants above.

“Our number one priority is to make a wine we want to drink with friends and family,” said Twomey’s Matt Duncan to us late last year, as we drove the winding roads from the family’s Sonoma County winery up to Twomey’s winery, which is located just two miles from downtown Healdsburg and 15 minutes from Silver Oak Alexander Valley, an boasts gorgeous panoramic views that stretch from Guerneville to Mt. St. Helena. 

Since 2002, the Russian River Valley winery has been what Matt calls “the engine room” of Twomey’s Pinot Noir program. Since Twomey is all about making wine closer to the terroir where they farm, the winery sits—just like their Anderson Valley and Willamette Valley wineries—within minutes of their world-class cool climate sites: the West Pin Vineyard, which is just two miles away on Westside Road, and Last Stop Vineyard in Forestville.

The man at the helm in Russian River is winemaker Justin Hirogoyen, who walked us through the sparkling facility. With viticulture and enology degrees in Burgundy and experience working at legendary Domaine Faiveley, he’s the perfect winemaker to usher Twomey’s exquisite fruit to bottle, coaxing the micro-nuances from their small blocks and expressing the many aspects of their stellar vineyards. 

The 2018 season was a phenomenal one in Sonoma County, yielding gorgeous and uniformly ripe fruit at the end of the slow and steady season. Using 34% whole-cluster fruit, Justin aged the Pinot for 14 months in 100% French oak (a quarter of it new). The result is a classic Russian River Pinot boasting the Twomey signature of soft, ripe fruit with a satiny texture and beautiful streaks of acidity and minerality. A beautiful bottle from one of the first families of California wine.