| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | U.S.A. > California > Sonoma |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2024 Pinot Noir McDougall is dark and enveloping. Black cherry, lavender, mint, orange peel and pine all take shape in the glass. Broad and ample, the 2024 is quite substantial in feel. This opens beautifully with a bit of time in the glass but remains a bit wild and unruly. There is certainly no shortage of character. Sadly, this is the last vintage for the Kutch McDougall Pinot. (Drink between 2027-2036)
Vines planted 1998 on Greywacke and sandstone 3.5 miles from the Pacific at 1,010 ft well above the fog line. Kutch’s warmest site so picked 30 August and made like the Sonoma County blend.
Transparent, shaded garnet. Rich, sweet nose. Very charming – so much fruit that the tannins are almost imperceptible. There’s even a little gamey nose. This is the Kutch Pinot closest to a fine Grenache! (JR)
MacDougall Ranch sits up above the fogline, so is a warmer site than, for example, Falstaff Vineyard. This results in a much more red fruity wine in 2024, though its octane is the same civilized thirteen percent for both single vineyard bottlings. The MacDougall Ranch 2024 offers up a beautiful bouquet of red and black cherries, pomegranate, woodsmoke, gamebird, a lovely touch of whole clusters, a complex foundation of stony soil tones, raw cocoa and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and nascently complex, with a beautiful core of fruit, excellent soil signature and grip, fine-grained tannins and impeccable balance on the long, poised and very promising finish. All this gorgeous bottle of pinot noir needs is time to blossom. (Drink between 2037-2075)
