A Sonoma coast winery that relies on small, meticulously farmed vineyards, Cobb Wines was founded by David Cobb in 2001. But their story begins in 1989 when David Cobb began cultivating Pinot Noir vines at his small Coastlands Vineyard, perched literally right on the Sonoma coast. David was previously working as a marine ecologist and spent much of his time learning about soils and climatological charts in trying to find the perfect spot for his vineyard. He found that the Sonoma coast was the perfect spot to grow great terroir driven Pinot, which required a good amount of heat, morning fog to keep temperatures moderate, and plenty of wind to protect the grapes from rot. Cobb Wines combines the winegrowing expertise of David Cobb—one of the first big players in Pinot Noir viticulture on the far Sonoma Coast—with the winemaking talents of his son, Ross Cobb. Ross has an extensive history in wine, previously serving at some prestigious wineries in the past, including Ferrari-Carano, and Williams Selyem, where he served as viticulturist and enologist.
Ross came on with his father and became head winemaker at Cobb. He knew that he had something special with their Pinot Noir from the Coastlands vineyard. In 2001, a mere 130 cases of their wines were made. This wine was a huge hit. Cobb has diversified exponentially since then, focusing hand crafted Pinot sourced from small, terroir driven vineyards. Subsequent Cobb Pinot bottlings have received some incredibly high scores from press. I recently had the chance to sample the new Pinot releases from Cobb. Each wine had a personality of their own. The Sonoma Coast style is a bit challenging to define. The Cobb Pinot releases were feminine and compelling wines that showed grace and terroir. For those who have not had Sonoma Coast Pinot, think Sonoma Valley meets Willamette Valley, with a touch of Burgundy. Once constant theme with the Cobb wine releases was the seamless quality to the wines. These wines glide through the imbibing experience, leading to a long and smooth finish. There is a wonderful minerality to these wines as they are all long-agers and will easily cellar well for another decade. While these wines are fairly pricey ($75.00 for each), they are worth some special attention. Cobb Pinot Noirs tend to be a bit difficult to find in the Northwest as you can only get them online through a mailing list or at a rare selection of restaurants. Learn more about Cobb wines at http://cobbwines.com/store/index.html. Here are the impressive new releases from Cobb.
2013 Cobb Wines ‘Coastlands Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- First planted in 1989, the Coastlands Vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the Sonoma Coast. Due to the fog in the vineyard, the yields tend to be very low from this windy, 14.5 acre plot. The 2013 Cobb 'Coastlands Vineyard' shows the softer side of California Pinot. This expressive bottling begins with aromatics of black tea, red currant, red raspberry and hints of forest floor. There are flavors of red raspberry, lavender, Mandarin orange rind and guava in this light and very Beaune-like effort. Decant this for at least two hours before enjoying. Drink 2016-2026- 92
2013 Cobb Wines ‘Rice-Spivak Vineyard’ Pinot Noir-The 2013 Cobb 'Rice-Spivak' Vineyard Pinot Noir is sourced from a 6-acre vineyard, planted on Goldridge loam and ash, and owned Russell Rice and his wife, Dr. Helene Spivak. While the location of the vineyard is more inland than the other vineyards that Cobb sources from, this vineyard still maintains a very strong maritime influence. This wine begins with aromas of rose petals, lavender, crushed pomegranate seeds and red cherry. There are flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, Meyer lemon oil, and cran-pomegranate. The silky texture makes this feminine style Pinot sing. This is a smooth wine to savor and will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2016-2026- 93
2013 Cobb Wines ‘Emmaline Ann Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- David and Ross Cobb founded Cobb Wines in 2001, and craft Pinot Noir from small vineyards on the Sonoma Coast region. The Emmaline Ann Vineyard is slightly inland from the Coastlands Vineyard. Their 2013 'Emmaline Ann Vineyard' Pinot Noir is a gorgeous release that shows its feminine side. Needing more than an hour decant, this wine yields perfumed aromas of cinnamon, red cherry, red currant and cola. There are flavors of guava purée, red cherry, red raspberry and nutmeg. Lovely texture as this wine has a seamless quality. Drink 2016-2026- 93
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