Wines

In 2022, our selections were made of the three lots that make up this Estate bottling. The upper ridge of clone 777 and the heart of the clone 115 and 667 blocks stood out amongst everything we tasted that day. The wines were very Aston Estate in character, but they also featured more explosive aromatics, broader textures and greater balance. I’ve always looked  for that more reductive, brooding character in the better Pinots we bottle, and this wine has a lot of that trait. There’s a seriousness to it that separates it from the Sonoma Coast wine. As the Sonoma Coast AVA has aged, we are starting to find what each unofficial sub-AVA offers and for me, Annapolis is all about savory. Black tea, forest floor, porcini mushrooms, sweet tobacco and a darker mineral profile dominate the aromatics. There is a lot of fruit on the palate, owing to the warmth of year, as it jumps immediately into black cherry and plums. A smoky meatiness comes up to give balance along with white flowers and peppery herbs. This is a bigger style Pinot then where it landed the last few vintages, but it is a great refection of the estate in a warm vintage, held in check by mouthwatering acidity and a rugged texture.

The 2022 returns this bottling to 100% estate. You can see from the quantities that there wasn’t much to go around from the vineyard, 16 tons from our 12.4-acre Annapolis site. After fermenting several lots individually, we landed on a 3-acre plot of clone 777 as the most generous and drinkable 2022 in the cellar and from that, the Sonoma Coast was created. This generosity is really what separates it from the Estate bottling. Both wines have the savage,  savory leaning personality of this part of the west Sonoma Coast but the Sonoma Coast bottling is far more approachable at this point in its life. The color is a bit lighter, the tannins are sweeter and rounder and there’s less of a brooding, reductive character compared to the Estate. The fruit is very high toned here too concentrating on black cherries and raspberries, orange peel and baking spices. There’s also a white pepper quality that weaves its way into the back of the nose and the palate entry. Both color and palate weight are very medium which keeps the wine refreshing and projects an acidity beyond what its empirical numbers would indicate. The goal here is site character and immediate drinkability which happens to be the greatest attributes of the 2022 vintage and this bottling in particular.

For the first time ever, we attempted to make this wine a more accurate reflection of the coast as a whole. The 2021 Aston Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a blend of Aston Estate fruit, as well as fruit from two different Pinot Noir vineyards, Riddle and Joy Road, located more southernly, around the town of Occidental. The result in the glass highlights the dark, umami-rich forest floor character of the Estate fruit, interwoven with vivacious red fruit and bright acidity that is the hallmark of Occidental-area vineyards. The mouthwatering quality of this appellation level wine is probably what I like best about it simultaneously providing really nice weight without growing heavy or tiresome.

Since this is a best barrel selection from the estate, that proved to be the hardest decision to make in such a great year. Plum and sandalwood scented, the first impression is of deep purple fruits framed by light violet notes. The farming, vine age and block selection has led to a more refined version here, staying very focused on its fruit core and traditional tannic framework. As it opens, the savorier elements start to come out but the wine still stays close to its fruit first nature: pomegranate, sassafras, smoke, rhubarb, incense and crushed raspberries provide a more lifted nature suggesting higher than normal acidity for this dense site. The acid and tannin play off of each other nicely creating the most intellectually interesting Aston Estate to date.

The 2020 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a deep, dark, and structured wine from a strong, well-rounded vintage. The wine displays an almost completely opaque dark purple hue in the glass. Exotic aromas of bay leaf, macerated bramble fruit, blood orange and cedar bough emerge from the glass in concert. The palate is defined by mouth-watering freshness from front to back, marked by notes of fresh earth, cherry reduction, crushed rock and primrose. There is so much generosity and complexity to this wine, only time will tell what great notions will come to light in the bottle.   

The 2019 Aston Estate has a muscular edge that really speaks to this rugged northern Sonoma Coast location. The nose starts savory with white pepper, forest floor, dried herbs and menthol. The fruit kicks in on the entry featuring elements of red and blue fruits framed by the tannin that comes in early. Tea notes come in at the end complementing the raspberry and boysenberry high toned finish. As we continue to refine this now 20 year old vineyard, we are hoping to see more of this from the Estate in the future, a little more drinkability at release but ripe, persistent tannin that sets up the wines for a couple decades in the cellar.

While this is technically an AVA wine, all the fruit was sourced from the Aston Estate and the hallmark aromas and flavors of the site confirm this fact. In the glass, the wine displays a dark ruby hue. Aromas suggest forest floor, strawberry, pine bough and lilac. The complex palate notes take a turn towards the darker side, suggesting boysenberry, lavender, cranberry reduction, fresh loam and wet river stone. The lush mid-palate is framed by a vivacious acidity that carries the extended finish through to a clean floral finish. This is a fantastic introduction to what this vineyard has to offer, showing off all of its expressive attributes.

This bottling comes from its own block in the vineyard. The result in the glass is a balanced, expressive Pinot Noir that resonates with all the hallmark notes of the Estate vineyard. The wine displays a red-purple hue in the glass. Aromas suggest blackberry jam, cranberry, plum, orange pith, and nutmeg. The sleek, structured palate resonates with notes of raspberry, pomegranate pulp, river rock, and lavender.

This wine is a feast for the senses. In the glass the wine displays a red-purple hue. Vivid aromas emerge from the glass in concert, with notes of star anise, moss, dark bramble fruit, and cedar bark. The sleek palate is marked by a mélange of structure-focused earthy notes and spice dusted pomegranate reduction, black licorice, and orange oil. Possessing incredible depth, structural integrity, fruit character and a bright acidity, this wine will evolve over time in the glass, in a decanter or in the cellar for years to come. 

In the glass, this wine exhibits a deep ruby color. Complex aromas of bramble fruit, baking spices and purple lilac swell from the glass. The palate expresses a harmonious set of flavors suggesting kirsch, spearmint oil, vanilla bean, and loam.

Stunningly rich and complex with voluminous fruit aromas and flavors, tremendous body and silky mouthfeel, this wine is the epitome of New World Pinot Noir. The wine offers abundant aromas of ripe fruit including red currants, wild red berries, and black cherries. Focusing on the always-elegant Dijon clones, this Pinot Noir is fruit-driven with a soft smokiness and sweet smell of night-bloom jasmine. The creamy texture and refreshing acidity create an incredibly pleasurable mouth feel that leads to a long and satisfying finish. 

In the glass the wine exhibits a garnet hue with a light ruby halo. Waves of aromas emerge from the glass suggesting pine bough, cranberry compote, clove, and loam. The luxurious palate has layers of spicy brambly fruit, toasted cedar, pomegranate, star anise and lavender.

A dark, multi-faceted wine from a favorable vintage for the Estate vineyard. Aromatic notes suggest plum skin, forest floor, cedar bark, loam and macerated boysenberry. The palate has expressive dark fruit concentration, with a mouth-watering acidity and complimentary earth and spice notes on the periphery. Palate notes include cranberry reduction, nutmeg, mushroom, pine bough, and raspberry paste.