Wine | Gary Farrell Pinot Noir: It’s all in the berries

The 2015 vintage year in Sonoma County’s Russian River appellation, like many others in California, was a little tricky.  But in Russian River, the weather was perfect for Pinot Noir, bringing out some of their best qualities, featuring red berries and spices.

If you want to get a broad brush of what happened in Russian River’s 2015 vintage, check out Gary Farrell.  They have long standing relationships with a wide variety of vineyards going back through years of production, making even their blended source wines a treat.

One of these blended endeavors is their “Russian River Selection”.  It’s created from a variety of local sources and provides you with a little hint of what might be inside the more expensive Pinots for the 2015 vintage year.

For this one, it is all in the balance between strawberry/raspberry and a passionately floral bouquet.  This follows through with a sumptuous body of soft mouth-filling fruit, a tad of cinnamon/nutmeg, and a totally food-friendly acid balance.  This is a rich enjoyable wine that is ever so easy to appreciate.

Pulling the cork on this Pinot with a batch of grilled free-range chicken slathered in Caribbean jerk sauce is just the ticket.  The flavors do indeed complement each other perfectly, making this a great summer grilling option.

You can find the Gary Farrell’s Russian River selection for $35 at Total Wine.  This is a good value at this pricing, especially for those who appreciate the tradition of excellence associated with this brand and its consistent Wine Enthusiast ratings in the 95-point range.

Also, the 2015 vintage marks the fourth year under the watch of winemaker Theresa Heredia, and the improvement over their previous renditions shows quite well.  With the 2016 Pinot Noir winery tastings on the horizon, we’re really looking forward to what that adventure brings!