A Sonoma producer that crafts a fantastic range of wines, Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 as a partnership between two tennis buddies who discovered a mutual passion for great wine. At Sojourn Craig and Ellen Haserot work together with winemaker Erich Bradley, the former winemaker at Arrowood Winery in Sonoma. A native of Palo Alto, California, Erich has a degree in bio-chemistry from the esteemed University of Chicago and a degree in Philosophy and Modern European Intellectual History from the University of California at Irvine. Eric has crafted some consistently good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay over the past several years.
Erich has been mentored by eminent winemakers Arrowood and David Ramey and sources his wines from some fantastic California vineyards, including Gap’s Crown Vineyard and the Durell Vineyard. The new releases by Sojourn were really impressive considering the challenges of the 2020 vintage. Look to the 2020 Sojourn ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Chardonnay (OB, 90) which is nicely salty with good finesse. I adored the new 2019 Sojourn Cellars ‘Oakville Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which is one of the finest wines I have tasted from this producer. This beauty will cellar well for decades to come and has amazing flavor density — a joy to drink right now. Learn more about these beautiful wines at http://www.sojourncellars.com Here are the great new wines by Sojourn Cellars.
2021 Sojourn Cellars Rose-Made from Pinot Noir grapes, this excellent 2021 Rose was fermented in stainless steel tanks and then bottled in February 2022. Salty undertones combine with ripe guava and strawberry tones. Delicious to consume now, enjoy over the next several years. Drink 2022-2025- 90
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Produced from this famed vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA, this was aged in only 30% new French oak before bottling. Very salty, this reveals a soft texture with lighter pear and white peach flavors. Drink now. Drink 2022-2025- 90
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Durell Vineyard’ Chardonnay- An old Wente Clone Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA, the ‘Durell Vineyard’ Chardonnay is sourced from blocks planted back in the 1990s. The palate is soft and salty, showing medium-bodied Japanese pear flavors that mingle with salty minerals. This is done in a lighter, less intense style than other vintages. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Reuling Vineyard’ Chardonnay- The 2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Reuling Vineyard’ Chardonnay comes from vines first planted back in 2000. Right away this unveils light to medium intensity brioche and toasty oak tones alongside shades of starfruit on the palate, with salty and peat moss undercurrents. Enjoy over the next several years. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir- The 2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir shows cola and red currant flavors with a slightly bitter edge. Drink now. Drink 2022-2026- 89
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- An outstanding site for Pinot Noir, Sojourn sources their wine from a range of clonal selections. This wine shows really nice flavor density considering the vintage. Ripe red and black fruit parade with tar and pine needles, with salty undercurrents. Enjoy this over the next five plus years. Drink 2022-2027- 91
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Ridgetop Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The delicious 2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Ridgetop Vineyard’ Pinot Noir was stored in 50% new French oak prior to bottling. Red cherry and salted strawberry flavors mingle with loamy soils on the palate. Great now, consume this over the next five years. Drink 2022-2027- 91
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Walala Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- This Sonoma Coast AVA Pinot Noir unveils nice salty character once on the palate. The soft mouthfeel entices as mouth-watering red fruits greet you, alongside a good beam of tension. Drink this soon. Drink 2022-2027- 91
2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Riddle Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2020 Sojourn Cellars ‘Riddle Vineyard’ Pinot Noir was stored in 50% new French oak before bottling. This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir reveals a soft mouthfeel and good length with light red fruit flavors and citrus rind undertones. This is a commendable effort considering the challenges of the vintage. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2019 Sojourn Cellars ‘Oakville’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Just a touch (2%) of Petit Verdot was added to this Cabernet Sauvignon which underwent native yeast fermentation and then was stored in 75% new French oak before bottling. Dark current cordial, coffee grounds and shades of mocha all fill the palate, with good concentration and length. Very nicely textured, with refined tannins, this beautiful wine will cellar well easily over the next fifteen years. But why wait? Drink 2022-2037- 93
2019 Sojourn Cellars ‘Oakville Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The seriously good 2019 Sojourn Cellars ‘Oakville Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning new wine that is built to age but also is appealing in its hedonistic youth. Stored in 75% new French oak, this gives off a touch of toasty wood, alongside blackberry pie and black forest cake tones on the nose, with loamy soil undercurrents. Once on the mouth this displays a beam of tension that plays well with refined tannins and a deep core of dark fruit flavors, with espresso ground accents. Give this at least an hour of air if consuming now. Drink 2022-2042- 95