Today’s Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery 2010 Pinot Noir Estate is a stunner. The wine is rich, powerful and the most bold expression of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that we’ve ever tasted. Winemaker Jeff Pisoni (son of the original king of Central Coast Pinot Noir, Gary Pisoni) is a third generation winemaker which, in America, is about as many generations as you can find in a winemaking family. His lifetime of experience is apparent in today’s fantastically delicious Pinot.

Here is what the wine press has to say about this wine:

93 Points, Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast Released a year after their spectacular Sea Slopes bottling, this small production Pinot shows the elegance of the far Sonoma Coast, and also the ageworthiness of a fine wine. Dry and crisp, it has deep flavors of cherries, pomegranates and persimmons that are fresh and tart. It will have no trouble negotiating the next six years, growing earthier and more complex. Cellar Selection. —S.H.

91 Points - James Suckling Rich aromas of strawberries and cranberries showing some fresh mushrooms. Palate has some preserves and a long, big finish. This is a full-bodied wine showing nicely balanced acidity.

91 Points - Connoisseurs’ Guide Even if starting to show a slight note of aged complexity and a touch of early suppleness on the palate, this solid, well-structured wine is a few years away from finding its full voice. Its deep and very continuous themes of extracted cherries are accented by intriguing highlights of green tea and forest-floor spice, and, while still a bit grippy and tannic, it has more than enough fruity flesh on its ample bones.

90 Points - Wine Spectator Offers a firm, rustic backbone, dense and tight, with blackberry, raspberry, anise and spicy notes. This is young and chewy, ending with a persistent finish and vibrancy that suggests a long life ahead. Drink now through 2021. —J.L.

★★★★ - Restaurant Wine These are refined, elegant Pinots. The standard bottling is rich and ripely flavored; a full bodied, complex, lightly tannic wine, with good balance, and a firm, long finish. In aroma/flavor, it tastes of cherry, raspberry, plum jam, juniper, toast, nutmeg, and cooked beef.