I don't know how a California Pinot Noir could be more compelling than Ross Cobb's 2021 Doc's Ranch bottling.
It is one of those wines that truly mesmerizes the senses and makes you wonder how something made from fruit can taste so good.
Rated 97 points by Decanter, 96 points by the Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck, and 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, I am pleased to be able to offer it to you at the undisputed best price in the US:
Buy 1 bottle, and it's just $69.99 -- that beats the best US price by $10.
Buy a solid six-pack, and I'll sweeten the pot -- $59.99/bottle.
Click HERE if you need evidence that my pricing is ridiculously good....
Ross Cobb is undoubtedly one of our country's greatest "Pinot Noir makers." He gained experience with this ficklest of grape in many ways -- helping his parents in the family's famed Coastlands Vineyard, traveling to Burgundy many times and meeting with and learning from the region's greatest vignerons, and making wines and managing vineyards for the likes of Williams-Selyem, Flowers, and Hirsch.
What makes his journey even more impressive is that while he was working for these all-star, Sonoma Coast estates, he was simultaneously making tiny amounts of wines under his own eponymous label. Today, he focuses his energies entirely on his own project, and I consider myself lucky to call him a friend and an inspiration.
Every time I drink a bottle of Pinot made by Ross, I am inspired by the detail and nuance he coaxes out of the grape. You can definitely tell that Ross has spent a good deal of time in Burgundy, but his heart is in Sonoma, and you can taste both influences in his 2021 Doc's Ranch Pinot Noir.
From one of the great Sonoma Coast vintages of all time, this is a pretty-much-perfect bottle of wine. The Doc's Ranch Vineyard is adjacent to Cobb's Coastlands Vineyard, so we're talking about a serious "Pinot Noir Sweet Spot" here. That quality of site and Ross's mastery of the grape are both on full display in this pure and beautiful Sonoma Coast Pinot.
It kind of transcends words, and has that undefinable, somewhat mystical quality that all of the best Pinot Noirs in the world have.
Just 950 cases were produced, and this is comprised of "Grade A clonal material" -- Swan, Calera, and Pommard to be exact. Fermented with 50% whole clusters, which adds savory and complex spice and forest floor nuances to the pristine red fruit aromas and flavors, this is giving and effusive on the palate, with refined and ripe tannins. While it is drinking like a champ at present, this will provide even more rewards down the road.....
While I am confident with my own tasting notes, I love the review from Decanter's Clive Pursehouse:
"Ross uses 50% whole cluster to make this wine—aromas of red flowers and mint, white pepper and wild green strawberries. The palate shows sweet red berries, lightly spiced with notes of white pepper and an elegantly textured mouthfeel. This Pinot dances across the palate with zippy, savoury white pepper and a fresh note of evergreen sap and lithe pine needles lingering on through the finish. Drinking window: 2024 - 2040."
In case you didn't pick it up yet, there is A LOT going on here, but the wine is blessed with an overall deliciousness that makes it quite easy to drink. My advice is to get some now, but make sure to save a bottle or 2 for Thanksgiving.
Just $69.99 by the bottle or $59.99/bottle if you get a solid sixer. Both prices crush the big, online shops by $10 to $20.
I think you know what to do next!
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
