Cobb Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Ross Cobb is a legend of Sonoma County, but a lot of folks have never heard of him, as he keeps a pretty low profile. At the age of 19, his parents bought the iconic Coastlands Vineyard, and Ross's wine journey began. He helped them replant the site before heading off to UC-Santa Cruz to study soil science. 

After college (1994), Ross took a job as Ferrari-Carrano's first soil scientist. After that, in 1998, he was hired by Williams-Selyem as lead viticulturist and enologist. Two years later, he moved on to Flowers Winery as associate winemaker in 2000. He worked under Hugh Chappelle for four years before taking over as head winemaker for the subsequent five vintages. From there, Ross became head winemaker at Hirsch in 2009, where he made their wines for six vintages.

What's amazing to me is the Cobb did all of this while at the same time developing his own eponymous label. It is under this label where I think Ross does his best work, and his 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a masterful wine that shows Ross's familiarity with top Sonoma Coast sites as well as his signature style.

The debut vintage of this wine, just 950 cases were produced, and it is an absolute pleasure to drink. Showing giving fruit up front with lots of red notes on the palate and classic structure and acidity that has become a hallmark for Cobb Wines. Though it will age for years like all of Ross’s wines, this bottling can be thoroughly enjoyed the year it is released.