Trade
Wines currently available for restaurants and retailers are listed below. These two pinot noirs are the first of our wines to be released after a full year of cellaring in bottle. We started transitioning to extended cellaring with our 2006 harvest. By 2011 all our pinot noirs will have seen a full year of cellaring in bottle before release. This assures you that the wines are closer to their mature flavors and ready to serve without requiring additional cellaring or decanting.
Please contact us at thefamily@cobbwines.com for availabilty, distribution, and pricing of our wines. Also, we invite you to inquire about our promotional materials, technical information, Winemaker dinners and presentations, Staff pours, and other vendor services we offer that may be of interest to you.
Our current 2011 releases:
Cobb Pinot Noir Diane Cobb: Coastlands Vineyard 2008
When Coastlands was first being planted in 1989, very few varieties of the Pinot Noir grape were available commercially; 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 her nursery that she thought was both especially flavorful and well-suited for our coastal climate. The commemorative “Diane Cobb” designate wine from these vines is a lovely, complex, and thoroughly unique Pinot Noir.
Tasting Notes
Ross Cobb’s winemaker notes: "Aromas and flavors of lavender, white pepper, raspberry, cherry plum, orange peel, cola and minerals. A long, rich finish with full mouth-feel and broad tannins."
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. Josh Raynolds. "Bright ruby. Compelling aromas of red berry preserves, smoky minerality, cocoa powder and white pepper, with a sexy note of incense in the background. Dense but tightly coiled, with zesty acidity giving shape and grip to the raspberry, rose and spicecake flavors. A wine of noteworthy finesse as well as power, finishing with excellent cut. This 1.5 acre vineyard is planted to 22 different clones, all on their own roots. " 93 Points
Technical Notes
160 cases produced. 17 months in barrel. 40% new French oak. 13.7% alcohol.
Cobb Pinot Noir Emmaline Ann Vineyard 2008
This is our third release from this small vineyard from which we receive the entire grape crop. Emmaline Ann Vineyard is at the western margin of Sebastopol, California, and is very much influenced by the Pacific Ocean further to the west. Not only was the fruit quality in 2008 once again 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.
Tasting Notes
Ross Cobb’s winemaker notes: "Aromas and flavors of earth, coffee and raspberry. Secondary aromas dominate and include graphite, rose water, spice, dried herbs & flowers, butterscotch and caramel. Still quite closed, but opens beautifully after a few hours. Nice crisp acidity with a long finish."
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. Josh Raynolds. "Vivid red. Sexy, highly aromatic bouquet evokes musky raspberry, potpourri and smoky herbs. Silky-sweet and light on its feet, with ripe red fruit flavors growing spicier with air. Finishes long and tangy, with a distinctly floral character and lingering spiciness. " 91 Points
Technical Notes
370 cases produced. 17 months in barrel. 35% new French oak. 13.1% alcohol.
Cobb Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak 2008
The 6-acre Rice-Spivak Vineyard is near the town of Sebastopol, California, north of San Francisco, and several miles from the Sonoma County coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is planted to a combination of Dijon and Swan pinot noir varieties. These distinctive clones are planted in an unusual mix of sandy loam and volcanic ash. 450 cases made.
Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s notes: Aromas and flavors of high-toned fruit including raspberries, Bing and Rainer cherry, stone fruits, bergamot, orange melon; minerals and earth. Crisp, yet creamy mouth-feel; bright acidity on palate.
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Josh Raynolds. "Bright red. Sexy aromas of candied red berries, cherry-cola, anise and fresh bay, with a hint of potpourri that gains strength with air. Juicy, penetrating raspberry and cherry flavors show increasing spiciness and weight as the wine opens in the glass. The finish strongly echoes the raspberry note and lingers with impressive clarity and persistence. This is balanced to age." 92 Points
Harvest Notes
The 2008 growing season for the 2008 wines at our vineyards was another near-perfect event. The early season was mild. The pesky spring drizzle and fog that can reduce a crop - or if severe, eliminate it entirely - was minimal for a change. The coastal locations of our vineyards helped us avoid the hottest weather that arrived just prior to harvest, and the wildfire smoke that threatened all of us on the coast in late summer never reached our vineyards. Three bullets dodged. Not bad for farming
Technical Notes
450 cases produced
alcohol: 13.5%
3.31 pH
17 months in barrel
35% new French oak
Cobb Pinot Noir Jack Hill 2007
This 2-acre vineyard overlooks the Freestone Valley near Occidental, north of San Francisco in western Sonoma County. The soils are sandy loams typical of the ridge tops of this portion of western Sonoma County. Its mix of Dijon 667, 115, and 828 pinot noir varieties, and its west-facing slope, combine to produce a distinctive, complex, and elegant coastal Sonoma County pinot noir.
Tasting Notes
Ross Cobb’s winemaker notes:
The hillside vineyard displays ripe aromas more common in pinot noir from the Russian River Valley. This Occidental vineyard has fruit aromas of blood orange, cherry cola with a creamy, luscious and spicy impression with lively acidity.Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. Josh Raynolds. “Focus On California’s North Coast”. May/June 2009: “Vivid red. Powerful aromas of black raspberry, cherry compote and dried rose. Candied licorice and Asian spices come up with aeration, adding complexity to the deep, sweet red and dark berry flavors. For a rich wine this is impressively lithe, finishing with outstanding clarity and persistent sweetness.” 92 Points
Harvest Notes
Jack Hill Vineyard had a long growing season, which produced a modest harvest of less than two tons per acre. This, combined with a long, mild ripening period resulted a worthy addition to the Cobb lineup.
Technical Notes
240 cases produced. 17 months in barrel. 35% new French oak. 3.43 pH. 13.6% alcohol.
