2018 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

JS92 James Suckling; Extremely fresh and fruity with plums and dried strawberries, as well as a citrus-peel undertone. Full body, light tannins and a delicious finish. Fruit-forward pinot noir.

Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”

A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.

CrossBarn is a California wine producer located in Sebastopol, in Sonoma County. It was established in 2000 by Paul Hobbs who initially made a single lot of Cabernet Sauvignon under the label. CrossBarn now produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc from acclaimed North Coast appellations like Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, and Napa Valley.