"Sonoma Coast" can mean a lot of things.The AVA is enormous and includes everything from warm inland sites that feel more Russian River Valley than like the windswept coastal highlands that made the wines world... Read More

"Sonoma Coast" can mean a lot of things.The AVA is enormous and includes everything from warm inland sites that feel more Russian River Valley than like the windswept coastal highlands that made the wines world famous. 

But more than 20 years ago the guys behind Red Car winery already knew the real deal. And when they started planting sites in 2005 they chose a spot 1,200 feet up and four short miles from the Pacific in Fort Ross-Seaview. This is a tough place to grow grapes. The ocean breeze means cool temperatures and real acidity; the elevation means dramatic day-night swings that slow ripening and preserve freshness; the dense fog means slower ripening. 

And the team didn’t make things easier on themselves when they planted. Instead of choosing easy-to-farm commercial vines, they planted a wild variety of heritage field selections. That choice, especially in this terroir, requires careful vine-by-vine farming, clone-by-clone harvesting, and ever-present risk for one plot or another.  

But all that patient, painstaking work, has paid off. The vines are hitting their stride now at 20 years old, and making some of California’s best Pinot Noir. The winemaking is focused on terroir and vintage expression (native yeast fermentation, very little new oak, no fining or filtration) – exactly what you would hope for a wine made from such incredible sites.