Aug 23, 2019 by Drew Sonoma Up-and-Coming La Pitchoune Winery is Making Wine that Will Blow Your Socks Off - Lisa Denning, Grape Collective
The Backyard Conversation About La Pitchoune Winery
The Wine Road with Jeff Davis
A Food & Wine Classic Pre-Party in Littleton
- June 9th, 2016, 5280.com
"La Pitchoune has been gaining its footing as one of the most coveted producers in Sonoma County with their unapologetic wines that are reminiscent of the kind of farmhouse wines you’d find throughout Burgundy, France."
- Sonoma Magazine, 2018
Little Wonder: La Pitchoune is the New Winery on the Vineyard Block.
- February 17th, 2016, North Bay Bohemian
Drinkers Without Borders - May 27th, 2015. San Francisco Magazine.
"I'm not dead yet" - Gonzo Gastromony
La Pitchoune Makes its NYC Debut - The Wine Chef
Wine Reviews:
2012 vin gris of pinot noir:
"9.5 out of 10 ... This one is fab."
- Alder Yarrow, Vinography
"...when properly chilled it is magic. Highly recommended."
- Ben Carter, Benito's Wine Reviews
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2013 vin gris of pinot noir:
Recommended by Bill St. John of the Chicago Tribune as a perfect wine for your Thanksgiving meal: "The wine is barely pink (but prettily hued nonetheless) and sports scents of lime, watermelon and strawberry, but it is its cleanness, focus and refreshing finish that matter most to food."
- Bill St. John, Chicago Tribune
"90 Points: Racy, clean, a very exciting rosé." - Terroirist: a Daily Wine Blog
"Sprightly and refreshing, the wine is a mélange of watermelon and raspberry, just sweet enough to sip on its own without overreaching." 90 points.
- Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast
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2014 vin gris of pinot noir:
"Medium salmon colored. So vibrant and fresh on the nose, with wild strawberries, white cherries and watermelon, mixed in with sea salt, crushed shells and a hint of white pepper. Crisp, clean, racy but attractive in its creaminess as well. I love the watermelon and tangy white cherries, and I get notes of honeysuckle, chalk, sea salt and rosewater. Delicious stuff right here, so vibrant and begging for shellfish and salads." 90 points
- Isaac James Baker
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2015 vin gris of pinot noir:
"Zesty, crisp and round rose with good berry flavors that entice the palette, leading to a clean, long finish. Simply delicious. Grab a bottle and enjoy with a loved one at the beach."
- ENOBytes.com
"I drank this chilled while on the beach in Atlantic City with good friends. Awesome times. Love the vibrancy and peppery kick to this wine."
- Isaac James Baker
Gold Medal
2016 Denver International Wine Competition
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2012 sonoma coast pinot noir
"Excellent. 92 Points" - ENOBytes.com
"This was a party in a glass and one of the highlights of the tasting. I loved the Burgundian style pinot with its notes of fig, red cherry, earth and layers of complexity."
- Dallas Wine Chick
"Sublime pinot noir for drinking through 2017 or ’18. Exceptional."
- Fredric Koeppel, biggerthanyourhead.net
"Destined to be a favorite among customers, this Pinot shows off the true potential of its region, balancing New World expression with classic Burgundy restraint."
95 points - clubveritas.com
90 Points - Wine Spectator
#6 best wine of 2015 by Wine Spectrum
"91 Points" - Terroirist: a Daily Wine Blog
"Tart cranberries and cherries on the nose but so many floral, spice and complex aromatic nuance as well. Bright and red fruit-driven on a frame of dusty tannins and some refreshing acid. Lots of spice, earth, rose petal and coffee integrated together so smoothly. A bold and full-bodied wine at 14%+ but maintains freshness and elegance as well. Opening up beautifully, drinking fine now but I’d like to revisit again in 2016." 91 points
- Isaac James Baker
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2013 sonoma coast pinot noir
- WineGuys.US
"There are 15 barrels of the 2013 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Sweet cherries and strawberries jump from the glass of this lush, sexy medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir. The wood has a nice spice and judicial touch of oak without being overwhelming. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied and long, this sexy, round, lush Pinot Noir should drink well for another 7-8 years." 90 points.
- Robert Parker
"Bright ruby color. On the nose, wow! I get: bing cherry, wild strawberries, spiced cranberry sauce, tons of floral complexity and subtle spice. An airy and beautiful aromatic display. Medium-full-bodied with structured tannins that have a fine, dusty feel, while bright acidity keeps it fresh. Tart red fruit (sour cherry, McIntosh apple, wild raspberry) mixes with an elegant floral presence. Complex spice and savory aspects come out with air. Complex but harmonious, elegant but delicious style. This spends 11 months in 25% new French oak." 91 points.
- Isaac James Baker
Gold Medal
2016 Denver International Wine Competition
"Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Quite savory on the nose, with aromas of damp loam, earthy flora and herbal oak. More fruity on the palate with a ripe but not over ripe core of black cherry, dark strawberry and black raspberry flavors enhanced with notes of spice, herbs, black tea and dark chocolate. The overall sense is one of vibrancy and the modest finish pleases. An impressive appellation wine."
Score: 90
princeofpinot.com
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2013 english hill pinot noir
"Tightly wound walls of cranberry and rhubarb speak to a concentrated coastal wine, the body soft and measured, fully in balance, cradled in tannin and oak. With vibrant minerality, the wine should stand the test of further time; drink now through 2021. 91 points, cellar selection"
- Wine Enthusiast
"Impressive harmony with noticeable length on the aromatic finish." 92 points
- princeofpinot.com
"Deep ruby color. Aromas of ripe, juicy black cherries, raspberries, tart strawberries, also some notes of pine sap, tobacco, white pepper, a spicy-herbal kick. Bright approach on the palate with tart raspberries, cherries and red plums, dusty tannins, plenty of structure, a bright acidic backbone that keeps the wine lively and tart. Notes of bay leaf, tobacco, white pepper, mixed in with richer elements of chocolate-covered cherries and cola. Deep underlying sense of earth and minerals. A beauty of a Pinot Noir that should improve for the next three to five years. Aged 11 months in 25% new French oak." 93 points
- Isaac James Baker
The first of the single vineyard Pinot Noir’s we tried had a beautiful bouquet of exotic spices and red cherries, cranberries, bright red fruits and tobacco. The mouthfeel exhibits a wonderful harmony of red cherries, spice notes, fine tannins and cedar, with a beautiful aromatic finish. We gave this a 93/100 points.
- WineGuys.US
"The 2013 Pinot Noir English Hill Vineyard is from another coastal site and is a tiny cuvee of only 100 cases. The color is dark ruby/gamet, the wine offering up notes of allspice, red and black cherries and deep currants. It is textured, rich and concentrated. This is a complete package that drinks nicely now and will cellar for 5-7 years." 90 points.
- Robert Parker
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2013 holder vineyard pinot noir
"The finish is remarkably long, lasting well over 30 seconds."
92 points - princeofpinot.com
"Medium ruby colored. Aromas of jammy raspberries, tart summer plums and red currants, along with some earth and rosemary elements. Medium+ bodied, a velvety appeal with moderate acid, the balance is quite a thing. Tart plums mix with wild raspberries and richer strawberry jam flavors, and I get secondary notes of pine sap, green coffee, black tea. Velvety, smooth but stylish, rounded out with some earthy and saucy aspects that will surely evolve with time. 13.8% alcohol, aged 11 months in 25% new French oak."
92 points - Isaac James Baker
"It has an expressive nose of wild strawberries, red berries, dark soil tones, black tea, exotic spices, with hints of forest floor and rose pedal. On the palate the wine is focused, medium to full-bodied, with a pure and refined core of fresh fruit. It remains focused and balanced leading into the long finish. Drinking well now with some air contact, and will improve over the next decade." 91 points.
International Wine Report
"The 1.25-acre Holder Vineyard would have been hard to find if it weren't for the Chenoweth connection. Savory notes of marjoram and sandalwood hardly hint at the exuberant, sweet palate of cherry-raspberry-cranberry sauce that makes the 2013 Holder Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($68) such a pleasure."
- James Knight, North Bay Bohemian
"The Holder Vineyard Pinot Noir, much like the English Hill had a wonderful nose of exotic Asian spices, anise, strawberries, raspberries, toasted bread, and oak. The mouthfeel was rich, layered, but had a vibrant acidity and finished long and beautiful. We gave this a 93/100 points."
- WineGuys.US
"The 2013 Pinot Noir Holder Vineyard from Russian River is another small cuvee of about 125 cases. This has more earth, spice and subtle brush and vegetative characteristics that are often found in Russian River Pinot. The wine has a ruby color, a sweet nose of ripe cherries, and is medium full-bodied, round and juicy. Drink it over the next 5-6 years."
- Robert Parker
"The 2013 Holder Vineyard Pinot Noir is the first vintage from this 1.25 acre for La Pitchoune Winery. It has an expressive nose of wild strawberries, red berries, dark soil tones, black tea, exotic spices, with hints of forest floor and rose pedal. On the palate the wine is focused, medium to full-bodied, with a pure and refined core of fresh fruit. It remains focused and balanced leading into the long finish. Drinking well now with some air contact, and will improve over the next decade. (Best 2016-2026) - January, 2016 (MD) 91 points.
- International Wine Report
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2013 chenoweth vineyard chardonnay
"When I see Chenoweth Vineyards, I think of the Sonoma winery Patz & Hall, which makes a vineyard-designate Pinot Noir of that name. It's hard to believe the 2013 Chenoweth Vineyards Sonoma Coast Chardonnay was fermented in all-neutral oak. The cool but toasty aroma first brings to mind a shortbread cookie by the hearth on a winter's evening, but the season soon turns in the glass, and our cookie is instead roasting on the beach, slathered in coconut lotion. Pineapple flavor picks up the tropical theme, while crisp, just-ripe pear freshens up the butterscotch candy finish."
- James Knight, North Bay Bohemian
"Pretty golden color. I love the salty, nettle and white floral components to the nose, which liven up the rich apple and yellow plum fruit. Full-bodied, but this wine hides its weight well via the crisp acidity. Juicy yellow apple and plum, apricot and orange, mix in some honeycomb, croissant, salted butter. There’s a vibrant sense of sea shell and minerality in this wine, and the finish is long, creamy but crisp. Beautiful stuff — this is what my palate craves in Sonoma Chardonnay. I’d love to retaste in two or three years. Aged 16 months in 50% new French oak."
92 points.
- Isaac James Baker
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2013 pratt vineyard chardonnay
- WineGuys.US
91 points.
- Isaac James Baker
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2013 van der kamp pinot noir
A bitter streak of herbal tea seasons a tight grip of tannin in this mountainous wine, structured and burly in wild sage and black cherry. A smoky undercurrent adds intrigue and savory, meaty notes that should be paired with appropriately hearty fare. - 90 points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast
The Van Der Kamp single vineyard Pinot Noir shows sweet aromas of red berries, red florals, meaty aromas and and leather notes. The palate features notes of dark-red cherries, pomegranate, with an intermingle of asian spices, a kiss of oak and medium and well integrated tannins. We gave this a 93/100 points.
- WineGuys.US
"...potent balance between flinty tannins and ripe, ample fruit. 90 points"
- Wine & Spirits Magazine
"Somewhere between the Range-Rover Santa Rita Hills, the FJ40 Santa Lucia Highlands and the Subarus of Oregon, this Sonoma Mountain exists on a plane no one can touch. It demands your attention, sits you down and slaps you across the face, then smothers you with kisses. Clean-laundry floral and over-ripe orange bring on Comstock filling and match-head while ship's wood and coriander butt against a volcanic core. Acidity yanks the fruit back from the precipice of over-ripeness and the whole thing rolls itself into boughs and boughs of dark green tannin. Don't talk to me about Pinot until you have had this wine. @lapitchounewinery. I can't even do this wine justice in an [Instagram] caption: MOAR detail at link in bio. www.soifknows.com
"The 2013 Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard, from a Sonoma Mountain site made famous first by Landmark Winery, is a small 100-case cuvee. Distinctive earthiness, forest floor and spice box with a peppery edge is followed by dark cherries, blacker fruits, more structure and masculinity. This is a firm, more beastly style of Pinot, but everything is in place. Drink it over the next decade." 90 points.
- Robert Parker
"Deep ruby color. A rich, deep aromatic display, but the aromas show vibrancy as well – I get red and black cherries along with roses, black tea, paved road, sarsaparilla, and cola. A full-body (14.2%) but this wine shows structured yet fleshy tannins and moderate acidity, so it’s bold but balanced. The black cherry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit is warm but fresh – laced with coffee, scorched earth, cola, clove, apple cinnamon spice. Chewy and warm but pleasantly vibrant and airy– seems like it could unfold for quite a few years in the cellar. Aged 11 months in ¼ new French oak." 92 points.
- Isaac James Baker
"Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Muddled cherry and forest path aromas lead to a mid weighted forceful attack of pleasing black cherry and blackberry flavors that show length and persistence through the mid palate and grand finish. Very tasty, with impressive balance."
Score: 92
princeofpinot.com
"Van der Kamp vineyard is on of the oldest homesteads on the mountain and sits at an elevation of 1250 to 1500 feet. It is influenced by two fog banks, which move up on opposite sides of the vineyard; the Petaluma gap that winds up the Russian River and the other that comes in from the bay. The wine itself is flat-out delicious wine, delivering pretty aromas of ripe raspberries and cranberries laced with exotic spices, smoke, dried floral accents and underlying hints of pine sap. On the palate this offers a lovely soft, silky texture with wonderful finesse and balance as it makes a seamless transition into the spice-tinged finish. This is excellent today, but should certainly continue to develop further with some bottle age." (Best 2016-2024) - May, 2016 (JD) - 92 Points
- International Wine Report
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2013 vdk pinot noir
- WineGuys.US
“The 2013 Pinor Noir VDK from Sonoma Mountain is a selection of what they consider the best, as only 50 cases were produced. Slightly deeper than its siblings from Van der Kamp, the wine has plenty of pomegranate, cinnamon, red cherry, and hints of earth and underbrush. it is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very Burgundian. This one could use another year or two of bottle age and should drink well for at least a decade". 90+ points
- Robert Parker.
"Medium ruby color. Smooth and silky on the nose but plenty to sniff: juicy raspberries and strawberry, hints of rhubarb, rose petals and pepper. Full-bodied, silky but structured tannic approach, lip-smacking acidity, it all combines for a bold but vibrant wine. Black cherries mix with pomegranate, strawberry and wild blueberry. Complex notes of clove, chewing tobacco and peat mix with richer elements of cedar, roasted chestnut and clove. Mouth-filling and strong but stays vibrant, even elegant, although this is a very young Pinot that needs time in the cellar to show its full gorgeousness. This wine comes from the best Van der Kamp juice and is aged 11 months in 50% new French oak." 93 Points
- Isaac James Baker
"The 2013 'VDK' is even more compelling than the outstanding 'Van der Kamp' bottling, as it displays a more elegant and concentrated profile. This brilliant Pinot Noir is composed from Dijon clones 777, 828, and a selection of La Tache clones. It opens with a lovely mix of red berries, raspberries and fresh cut roses woven together with sweet and exotic spices and underlying hints of ash. This is beautifully textured and balanced while also displaying wonderful overall precision and finesse. It continues to deliver gorgeous fresh red berries and spices all the way through the pretty finish. This is an extremely captivating Pinot Noir, which looks to have an even brighter future ahead. (Best 2018-2028) 93 points - May, 2016 (JD),
- International Wine Report
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2013 sonoma coast chardonnay
“This is a gorgeous, rich, medium to full-bodied 2013 Chardonnay with stunning purity, nice orange blossom, tangerine oil, a spring floral note, terriffic concentration and a long finish. This is an impressive Burgundian-style Chardonnay (think Bâtard-Montrachet) that should drink well for 4-6 years". 94 points
- Robert Parker.
"Medium gold color. Wonderful aromas of crusty sea salt, jetty rocks, bright lemons and green apples, sliced pears and almond. Full-bodied on the palate, a bold, waxy presence but the acid is so precise that the wine pulls off balance. Pears, baked apples, dried apricots, I get an interesting mix of hazelnut and honeyed tea with brisker elements of chalk and sea salt. Complex and intriguing but so easy to sip and enjoy. Some near-term aging potential here. Aged 18 months in used French oak barrels." 90 points
- Isaac James Baker