The Essentials Trio
Our variety set showcases the full range of grapes we grow at Fort Ross Vineyard: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinotage.
2019 MOTHER OF PEARL CHARDONNAY
94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Mother Of Pearl is a smaller selection from the Fort Ross Vineyard, which is located in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, a smaller appellation on the northern Sonoma Coast. It’s certainly the richest of the Chardonnays from this estate, yet it stays firmly planted in the fresher, more elegant, mineral-laced style of the estate. Beautiful stone fruits, white flowers, toasted brioche, and subtle background oak all give way to a medium-bodied, vibrant, incredibly pure Chardonnay with a good spine of acidity and outstanding length. It’s already drinking nicely, yet I have no doubt this is another impressive Chardonnay from this estate that will evolve for a good 8-10 years.
★★★★+ Restaurant Wine, Ronn Wiegand MS/MW
The Mother of Pearl is an elegant, complex wine of fine quality. It has a clear appearance (not brilliant), and is a richer, somewhat toastier wine, with peach, roasted nut, pineapple, lemon, and oak flavors, and a long finish. Excellent; can be aged a bit.
2019 THE TERRACES PINOT NOIR
94+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Pinot Noir The Terraces is a more ethereal, perfumed, mineral-laced beauty offering gorgeous light red fruits, dried strawberry, crushed stone, and white flower-like aromas and flavors. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it still brings plenty of intensity as well as structure, and while it certainly has up-front charm today, it’s another wine from this estate that will benefit from a year or three of bottle age and have a long life. It’s beautifully done.
★★★★★ Restaurant Wine, Ronn Wiegand MS/MW
The 2019 The Terraces is also an outstanding Pinot Noir: supple, full bodied, and generously flavored (raspberry, red currant, rose petal, black tea, vanilla, oak), it is balanced, very long on the palate, and lightly tannic on the finish. Warrants further aging.
2018 PINOTAGE
Intense aromas of dark berry compote and lychee soar from the glass with hints of fragrant gardenias, white pepper and anise chiming in.This deep garnet Pinotage has a concentrated depth of bold flavors that envelop the palate with tiers of blackberry, cassis and black plum framed by baking spices and ginger. Prominent dark berry fruit is in complete harmony with the persistent tannins, balanced acidity and long, perfumed finish.