2023 Glassmen Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Drive from the Sonoma Coast into the Knights Valley AVA, and you’ll notice a few things. One: You have to navigate rugged mountain ranges the whole way. Two: There’s a rise in temperature. Three: You’re suddenly surrounded by Cabernet standouts like Beringer and Peter Michael. That’s because, as the warmest Sonoma sub-AVA, Cabernet is typically the most alluring grape variety here. 

Key word: Typically.

In the tiny Franz Valley—which sits within Knights Valley—trapped fog, hillside vineyards, and cool nights produce Pinot Noir that steals the show. That’s the home of Parr Vineyard, where the 2023 Glassmen Pinot Noir gained its silkiness, aromatic liveliness, and enchanting spice nuance.

Make no mistake, this wine still shows the hallmarks that have made Knights Valley wines famous. A fuller body. Concentrated dark-fruit character. Tight-knit tannins. It’s dense with black forest cherry, Damson plum, mocha, and exotic spices, but shows no lack of focus. A beautiful comparison to the more ethereal Pinots of cool-climate Sonoma AVAs, it puts the range in the region’s microclimates on display.

It also shows off the winemaking prowess of William Knuttel, who spent 13 years making high-end Pinot Noir at Saintsbury and another seven at Chalk Hill, before branching off to form his own winery. He brings all that experience to bear at Glassmen, a label founded by Advanced Sommelier Brian Kulich, who has run the beverage programs at MICHELIN-starred restaurants like Meadowood and Niku.

With two wine-industry experts at the helm, Glassmen is a name to know in Sonoma County Pinot, and their 2023 bottling is a gorgeously bold expression of the Knights Valley terroir.