Saintsbury Pratt Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2023 (750ml) *

Cool-climate Pinot Noir asks for patience, and the Pratt Vineyard bottling from Saintsbury shows why. The fruit comes from vines nearing thirty years of age on the Sonoma Coast, where the fog and marine influence stretch out the growing season. Small berries and slow ripening push these grapes to among the latest picks of the year, and the 2023 arrives with the kind of restraint and quiet structure that mark this stretch of California coast. About 15% of the fruit was fermented whole-cluster.

The aromatics lift right out of the glass, dried flowers, red and blue berries caught at the moment of ripeness, and a twist of orange peel. On the palate it turns toward darker red fruit, baked cherry and juicy pluot, with a whisper of damp earth threading beneath the plush center. Bright acidity and the whole-cluster lift keep it lively, carrying that freshness clean through the finish.