I had an opportunity to visit with Paul and Kathryn Sloan of Small Vines Wines on Sunday, during their open house at the winery in Santa Rosa. We retasted the ’06 Russian River and ’06 Sonoma Coast which I reviewed back in the fall of ’08.
These two wines are carrying on beautifully. They capture the best of both sides of the Atlantic – the acidity that makes Burgundy so compelling and the ripeness of California sunshine.
The 2007 vintage will be released in the fall and the thread of flavors and concentration follow through. The Russian River Pinot displays intense, almost jammy fruit in the nose while the mouth is an elegant display of fruit, where the edges are polished.
The Sonoma Coast plays the big brother to the Russian River, with super concentration and significant structure, a wine to age while you’re breaking into your stash of the more accessible Russian River. The source of the fruit is the MK Vineyard above Occidental, same as last year, with the designation on the label for the new vintage. Small Vines Wines