Notes from the Archivist

"Valkyrie"

Word of warning – this Pinot is not for the faint of heart.

94 points from Decanter, and described as “power-packed yet utterly drinkable”. This comes to us from a vaunted estate in the newly crowned AVA. For 25 years two titans of the industry have been tending to vines with one goal in mind: turn out the ultimate expression of Pinot Noir. There’s no holding back here.

After decades of work, countless high scores, and a cult-like devotion by their fans, these wines just keep getting better. Their prices however, remained reasonable and at $75 from the winery this puts many of the other upper echelon Pinots in their place, value-wise.

Which makes sense, given they planted vines in 2001 with a singular vision to make godly Pinot Noir. Well, today those vines are THRIVING.

Entry no. 003, “Valkyrie” comes entirely from the estate, and while young and primary, it’s certainly shaping up to be another blockbuster. Previous vintages earned high marks. Dunnuck gave the ’21 a 95, citing its “potent style”. Another critic noted the ripeness, “pushed to the edge”, and this follows suit.

Given the source, that’s not a surprise. Their trademark, signature style is exactly that. But there’s always a finely tuned balance in play, like Dale Earnhardt taking turn three at 200+ mph with Tchaikovsky blasting on the stereo. And if you like that style, you should be in for a case or five. We have just over 50 to go around…

Almost black in the glass, as we mentioned, this is not some kind of light, dainty tipple for your tummy.

Like its namesake, this Pinot Noir charges forward with uncompromising intensity, pushing this coastal California fruit to its heroic limits. A molten core of Amarena cherries, mulled and spiced plums, and boysenberry is lifted and refined by a dusting of nutmeg, forest floor, and coaxed with enough acidity to bring it all together. Where Burgundian Pinots whisper with restraint, the Valkyrie roars with full-throttle ripeness and intensity that could wake the Gods themselves.

94 Points – Decanter

“This is a power-packed yet utterly drinkable Pinot Noir, brimming with dark-fruited intensity. The grapes, grown with thick skins to withstand the battering of cold Pacific breezes along the West Sonoma Coast, ripened under the glare of the California sun and ocean light. Medium to full bodied, it offers the silkiest darkberry fruit profiles, plush tannins, and a cool wet-slate minerality touched by ocean-spray salinity, which brings freshness, energy, and drive, nuanced by tangerine zest. It’s no wonder this Pinot is called Valkyrie. Like the mythic warrior-maidens, it carries both strength and grace—an elemental power forged by coastal winds and ocean light, yet rendered with elegance and poise. The wine feels as if it were chosen by fate itself: bold enough to command attention, refined enough to enchant, and charged with the kind of energy that transports you, as if on horseback, straight into its own exalted hall of flavour.”