Pinot Noir, Terra de Promissio, Sonoma Coast, Senses Wines 2019
Wine Enthusiast 96; Jeb Dunnuck 95 (2024); James Suckling 95; The Wine Palate 93; The Wine Independent 93
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Why this wine
Terra de Promissio is one of the Petaluma Gap's most sought-after Pinot Noir sites, shared with Williams Selyem and Kosta Browne, and Senses take their fruit from it. Thomas Rivers Brown's hands-off winemaking lets the vineyard's smoky, savoury character come through undisguised. A serious Sonoma Coast Pinot from a strong year.
At a glance
- Grape
- Pinot Noir
- Region
- California, USA
- Alcohol
- 14.30%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannins
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Red Meat, Cheese
How it tastes
Smoky red and black fruits with roasted herbs, conifer forest and exotic spice. Rich and structured for Pinot Noir, with ripe tannins and a natural line of acidity that keeps the weight in balance rather than heavy. Pinot Noir 100%.
The producer
Senses Wines was founded in 2011 by three childhood friends, Christopher, Max and Myles, who work with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown on vineyards owned by their families near Occidental, on the West Sonoma Coast. Terra de Promissio, 'the Land of Promise', belongs to Charles and Diana Karren and lies in the Petaluma Gap, where sandy loam and adobe clay soils, a south-westerly aspect and near-constant wind and fog stretch the hang time; the Pinot Noir includes 13 hectares of clones 115 and 777 planted in 2002 and seven hectares of clones 943 and 97 planted in 2012, on a site shared with Williams Selyem, Kistler and Kosta Browne. Every cluster was hand-sorted before whole-berry fermentation in open-top vats with wild vineyard yeasts, and the wine matured for ten months in French oak, a quarter of it new. 2019 was one of the more exceptional recent vintages here: cool, settled weather allowed slow ripening without heat spikes, and the fruit was picked before the Kincade fire reached Sonoma County.
Food and drinking
Serve at 14-16°C. It works with duck breast, roast pork, mushroom risotto, or a soft washed-rind cheese. Drink over the next five to ten years; an hour in a decanter opens it up. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.