In 2023, Pinot Noir was the third-most planted grape by acreage in the Golden State, as it has been for years. But unlike California’s first and second-most planted grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, respectively—high-end Pinot Noir is produced in relatively few places.
That’s because the thin-skinned grape is famously finicky, requiring a climate cool enough to produce its characteristic high acidity, light to sometimes lush and almost fully body and vibrant, almost seductive aromatics. But of those regions that do grow it, many do so extraordinarily well.
In Sonoma County—and in particular, the Russian River Valley—the grape takes on a wide range of personalities thanks to the area’s widely varying terroir.
“Sonoma boasts a dizzying array of soil types, elevation differences and wind patterns, not to mention the looming presence of the Pacific Ocean as you travel closer to the coast,” shares Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Tom Capo, who reviews wines from Sonoma County. “All of these factors can drastically alter Pinot Noir as it goes from vine to bottle.”
In different hands and locations, it follows, the same grape can take on wildly contrasting profiles. For instance, wines from Three Sticks Gap’s Crown and Emeritus Cruz Estate “balance notable savory, earthy elements with brighter fruit.” Meanwhile, offerings from Bob Cabral Wines lean “heavily into the more floral nature of Pinot Noir,” and the Eastside Knoll Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir from J Vineyards & Winery “brings a much darker, intense expression of the varietal.”
