The 2009 Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard emerges from the glass with dark red cherries, flowers, mint, licorice and minerals. This is a tightly wound, more focused Pinot than the Emmaline Ann. Firm yet well-integrated tannins and bright acidity give the wine its focus and drive. Ross Cobb used 20-25% whole clusters here. This is a very, very beautiful wine. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. Ross Cobb spent time cutting his teeth at Ferrari-Carano, Williams Selyem and Flowers before taking the plunge and deciding to focus on making wine from his family’s Coastlands Vineyard. The sweet spot for picking Pinot is around 22.5-23 Brix, which is on the lower end of the spectrum within the context of Sonoma Pinot. The wines are made with natural primary and secondary fermentations and racked once before being bottled, which is done without fining or filtration. Unfortunately I was only able to taste two wines from Cobb but this is definitely an estate on the rise, and one I look forward to following over the coming years and hopefully decades. The 2009s were bottled on June 30, 2011.Tel. (888)-DAMFINE

A late release, Cobb’s 2008 Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard was bottled along with the 2009s, which means it spent a whopping 30 months in barrel, highly unusual for Pinot Noir. Dried red fruits, savory herbs and licorice all waft from the glass. Given the extended time in barrel (indicated on the back label), it isn’t surprising the 2008 shows mellowed nuances in its fruit. Hints of tar, asphalt and licorice all add gravitas on the finish. An exotic and intriguing wine, the Rice-Spivak is another beautiful wine from Ross Cobb. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Although the Cobb family bought and planted Coastlands in 1989, they didn’t start making their own wines until 2001. Building on his nine years at Flowers, Ross Cobb began gradually expanding the family’s range of bottlings. These are delicate, polished Pinots that reflect the unique personality of this coastal site and all of its shades of nuance. The Pinots see about 40% new oak in the first year of aging, followed by a bit less than that in the second year. Vintage 2010 presented considerable challenges. There is no Rice-Spivak or Emmaline because of crop failure. Fortunately, both wines are back in 2011. The 2010 Pinots were bottled in July 2012.Tel. (707) 799-1073