2021 Cobb Wines - Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Wendling Vineyard (750ml)

Cobb Wines started as a family venture in 2001. Ross Cobb and his father David harvested the first Coastlands Vineyard Pinot Noir and made it in a small hand-dug cellar beneath the family home. Before launching the label, Ross worked as a viticulturist and enologist at Williams Selyem and later became head winemaker at Flowers. Today he makes cool-climate Pinot Noir from a handful of fog-swept vineyards near the Pacific, chosen for perfume, energy and a true sense of place.

Wendling Vineyard sits in the far northwestern “deep end” of Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley. No vineyard in the valley is closer to the coast. Named for a vanished lumber town, the hilltop site is almost entirely surrounded by redwoods, and the vines grow on a south-facing slope of uplifted sandstone and clay, often blanketed in morning fog. It joined the Cobb lineup in 2017. In 2022 Ross picked after the Labor Day heat spikes and fermented the wine with 50% whole clusters. Only about 300 cases were made.

The 2022 is a bright, translucent ruby with perfumed aromas of pomegranate, blood orange, rose petal and hibiscus, along with cinnamon, star anise and wild sage. The palate is mid-weight and racy, with layers of floral red fruit and a lively, persistent finish.