In 2008 we have available four 2006 vintage Pinot noirs. Two are available to both our Mailing List and our restaurant customers: "Coastlands Vineyard" from the Coastlands estate vineyard in Occidental, California, and "Rice-Spivak Vineyard" from Sebastopol, a few miles to the east of Coastlands.

The other two are new wines in our portfolio of Coastal Sonoma County Pinot noirs and are currently available to the Mailing List only: "Coastlands Vineyard: Diane Cobb" from a little block within Coastlands; and "Emmaline Vineyard" from a 3-acre vineyard 15 minutes down the road from Coastlands.

2006 Coastlands Vineyard

Coastlands Vineyard is the original planting of Cobb Wines and represents some of the oldest Pinot noir vines on the Sonoma Coast. This 15-acre vineyard has an elevation of 900 to 1200 feet and sits on a ridge that overlooks the Pacific Ocean four miles to the west. The varieties of Pinot noir at Coastlands include Pommard, Martini, Wadenswil, and Mt. Eden. (But, please note details of the "Diane Cobb" block below.) The "extreme coastal" weather of Coastlands produces some of the most outstanding Pinot noir fruit in the country. Occasionally, periods of Spring rain or heavy fog can cause the vineyard's yield to be very low, or in some years nonexistent. However, 2006 was an exceptional year at Coastlands, allowing a harvest of over two tons per acre of excellent fruit. 290 cases produced. 16 months in barrel. 35% new French oak. 13.8% alcohol. $66 a 750 ml bottle; $142 a 1.5 L magnum.

Winemaker's notes: "Dark ruby color. Aromas and flavors of raspberry, cherry, plum, and cola; white pepper, spice, earth, minerals, and flint. A very distinct wine with a luscious, creamy finish."

2006 Rice-Spivak Vineyard

Earlier customers will recognize the Rice-Spivak Vineyard as a source of fruit in our earlier "Coastlands & Rice-Spivak" blends. Those wines were made from a combination of fruit from the young Dijon and Swan Pinot noir vines of Rice-Spivak and a single young block of Pommard vines at Coastlands. Now, the Rice-Spivak wines are ready to stand on their own and have been given a Cobb vineyard designation. (The Pommard joins other mature fruit in the wine of the Coastlands Vineyard designation.) This six-acre vineyard is a bit further inland from Coastlands. The unusual combination of sandy loam and volcanic ash at the site, together with the distinct varieties of Pinot noir planted there, yield a characteristically aromatic, complex wine. 405 cases produced. 16 months in barrel. 35% new French oak. 13.8% alcohol. $66 a 750 ml bottle; $142 a 1.5 L magnum.

Winemaker's notes: "Dark ruby color. Aromas and flavors of cherry-plum, raspberry, spice, and vanilla; orange-blossom, cola, earth, and toast. A rich, mouth-filling wine with crisp acidity and a long, smooth finish.

2006 Coastlands Vineyard: Diane Cobb

When Coastlands was first being planted in 1989, very few varieties of Pinot noir were available commercially, and fewer still tried under our conditions on the edge of the continent. Working with the University of California at Davis, Diane Cobb established a University licensed nursery block at Coastlands that contained over 20 relatively unknown Pinot noir varieties. In 1996 Diane doubled the block with a single Pinot noir variety from the nursery that she thought was both especially flavorful and well-suited for our coastal climate. Diane died at Coastlands in 2006. The "Diane Cobb" designate represents wine from these vines that is a lovely, complex, and thoroughly unique Pinot noir. 145 cases produced. 16 months in barrel. 40% new French oak. 13.9% alcohol. $66 a 750 ml bottle; $142 a 1.5 L magnum.

Winemaker's notes: "Very dark ruby color. Exceptionally aromatic and with flavors of dark and red fruits including raspberry and concentrated plum; white pepper, vanilla, minerals, and flint. A long, crisp finish.

2006 Emmaline Vineyard

This is our first release from another little vineyard from whom we purchase their entire production. Emmaline Vineyard ("-line" rhymes with "vine") is at the western margin of Sebastopol, California, very much influenced by the Pacific Ocean further to the west. The two Dijon varieties planted there are growing in Goldridge sandy loam, and like our other vineyards, produce about two tons per acre. Not only was the fruit quality in 2006 nearly perfect, all components of ripeness and flavor came together at a relatively low sugar level. This resulted in a lower alcohol Pinot noir with complexity and finesse. 166 cases produced. 16 months in barrel. 30% new French oak. 12.8% alcohol. $66 a 750 ml bottle; $142 a 1.5 L magnum.

Winemaker's notes: "Dark ruby color. Flavors and aromas of cherry-plum, raspberry, citrus, cranberry, and truffle; minerals and traces of clove, chocolate, and hazelnut. Has lovely finesse with clear acidity. A very complex and age-worthy wine."