International Pinot Noir Day: Staff Picks

Happy International Pinot Noir Day! To celebrate we've rounded up twelve of our favorites just added to the site, many from small producers from here in Sonoma County.

Let us know if we missed your favorite in the comments!

1. 2017 Folie a Deux Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $20.00
Our Price: $16.99

Tasting Panel, 90 Points

"Spring rose petals bloom from the glass as the nose lifts up raspberry-cedar. With striking acidity and a fleshy mouthfeel, the wine itself is representative of the cool, coastal terroir and was aged for nine months in primarily French oak (33% new). Licorice paints delicate red-tea tannins with a sturdy flavor as toffee enhances toasty oak on the finish."

2. 2017 Schug Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $30.00
Our Price: $19.99

James Suckling, 91 Points

"A strikingly youthful and complex nose with fine red fruit, laced with rosemary and saucisson. The palate is also carrying a herbal thread and delivers plenty of ripe red cherries with a decidedly hemp-like, herbal note to close. Drink or hold"

3. 2016 DeLoach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $26.00
Our Price: $21.49

Wine Enthusiast, 91 Points

"Earthy and stemmy, this affordable wine is both fresh and robust. It shows good balance in its black cherry, tea and forest floor flavors, which make it appealing to many Pinot lovers."

4. 2017 Chateau Buena Vista Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $40.00
Our Price: $24.99

Wine Enthusiast, 92 Points

"Aromas of black tea and cardamom greet the nose, with layers of blueberry and blackberry in the background. Flavors of cranberry, cherry and orange provide freshness on the full-bodied palate and accentuate the underlying acidity."

5. 2016 MacRostie Winery Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $34.00
Our Price: $28.99

Wine Enthusiast, 93 Points

"This is a richly built wine, with flavors of juicy black cherry and baking spice. Citrus-driven acidity offers length to the full-bodied palate."

6. 2015 Trione River Road Ranch Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $42.00
Our Price: $31.99

Wine Advocate, 90 Points

"Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir River Road Ranch opens with notes of crushed black cherries, mulberries and raspberry tart with a wonderfully spicy undercurrent of cinnamon toast and allspice notions. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a lovely savory character in the mouth with soft tannins and background acid, finishing with all those spices coming through. 1,269 cases produced."

7. 2015 Burn Cottage Moonlight Race Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $44.00
Our Price: $34.99

James Suckling, 93 Points

"This regional blend of a suite of parcels has an attractive red and dark cherry fruit core, with well-placed spicy oak, pleasingly grainy youthful tannins and a long fresh finish that is accented by concentrated cherry fruit flavors. Drink now."

Organic and biodynamically grown.

8. 2016 Domaine Eden Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $40.00
Our Price: $34.99

Wine & Spirits, 92 Points

"The delicacy of this Pinot Noir keeps it airy even as its red fruit saturates the texture and some youthful reductive notes close it off. That green-onion tension gives way to briny notes of seaweed and beach grass, the oak adding a smoky undertone. In 2007, Mount Eden purchased this Saratoga property, formerly known as Cinnabar, and renamed it Domaine Eden. One ridge to the north of Mount Eden, it’s where Jeffrey Patterson now grows this Pinot Noir on a north-facing slope."

9. 2016 Bucher Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $40.00
Our Price: $36.99

James Suckling, 93 Points

"Some smoked-meat aromas with a bright undercurrent of ripe red cherries that lead to a plush, attractive and flavorful palate, carrying a wealth of rich, typical pinot, ripe cherry flavor. Drink or hold."

Sustainably grown.

10. 2015 Anthill Farms Campbell Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $54.00
Our Price: $38.99

Wine & Spirits, 91 Points

"Hailing from the foggy redwood-flanked hills of Annapolis, this is a powerful coastal pinot noir, the flavors rooted in a firm, tannic bite that slowly transforms into black, peppery spice, energizing the wine’s ripe raspberry flavor. It’s fresh yet muscular, and could stand up to lamb chops."

11. 2015 Peirson Meyer Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $49.00
Our Price: $41.99

Vinous, 93 Points

"The Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) is a gorgeous, luscious wine that captures the allure of the vintage. Sweet red cherry, plum, cola and spice nuances are front and center. Succulent and racy, but also light on its feet, the 2015 has so much to offer. As is so often the case, Robbie Meyer and Alan Peirson make wines that are sumptuous but not overly heavy. The Russian River Pinot is a winner."

12. 2016 Reeve Wines Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Retail Price: $45.00
Our Price: $41.99

Jeb Dunnick, 90 Points

"Coming from the Anderson Valley, the 2016 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley saw a small amount of stems and spent 11 months in 20% new French oak. Its medium translucent ruby color is followed by a supple, forward, moderately concentrated effort that has a pretty bouquet of sweet strawberry and cherry fruit, spice, and dried flowers. It drops off on the finish, but is rounded, supple, and beautifully textured."