Pinot Noir, MCM88, Russian River Valley, Senses Wines 2021
Jeb Dunnuck 95 (2024); James Suckling 95 (2024)
EDKA Rating 8/10
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Why this wine
MCM88 comes from a single block of the old Keefer Ranch, a vineyard that made its reputation through Kosta Browne, and it is the boldest and most concentrated of the Senses Pinot Noirs. Green Valley's morning fog keeps the aromatics fresh despite the weight, so the floral and savoury notes survive the concentration.
At a glance
- Grape
- Pinot Noir
- Region
- California, USA
- Alcohol
- 14.60%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannins
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Red Meat, Cheese
How it tastes
Black raspberry and pomegranate layered with lavender, rose oil and wild sage, closing on mineral and earthy notes with a floral lift. Rich and concentrated, a bolder style of Pinot Noir, though the tannins stay fine and the finish is long 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 near Occidental, where they grew up. MCM88 takes its name from the founders' initials and their birth year, and comes from Perry Ranch, a block of the vineyard formerly known as Keefer Ranch and once farmed by Kosta Browne: it lies in Green Valley, a sub-AVA in the heart of the Russian River Valley, covers just over five hectares planted in 1996 to clones Pommard 4, 114, 777 and 23, sits on free-draining sandy-loam Goldridge soil, and is cooled by dense morning fog drawn in from the Petaluma Gap. The grapes were fermented whole-berry in open-top vats with wild vineyard yeasts and matured for ten months in French oak, 35% of it new. 2021 began with a dry winter and a cool, dry spring that kept the vines dormant late and slowed growth, giving low yields of small berries with concentrated flavour, colour and texture; harvest ran in temperate weather throughout.
Food and drinking
Serve at 14-16°C. Try it with roast duck, pork belly, a mushroom and thyme tart, or an aged Comté. Drink over the next five to ten years; half an hour in a decanter is enough. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.