Today we share one of Sonoma’s great producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Sojourn Cellars has now been in business for more than two decades. It was 2001 when two tennis friends–Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley–who shared a passion for two things: great wine and tennis. With Erich’s experience as an Assistant Winemaker at Arrowood Winery, the two developed a plan to produce small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from outstanding vineyard sources. They began with a hundred cases of Cabernet Sauvignon that they sold to our friends and family. Today they produce 21 different wines and have customers worldwide.
They did a marvelous job with the hot 2022 vintage. The 2023s are arguably as good, if not better. Check out the world-class 2023 Sojourn ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (OB, 96) which has marvelous salty tones from this site that neighbors the Pacific Ocean. Learn more about these great wines at sojourn cellars.com and here are my reviews of the beautiful new release wines by Sojourn Cellars.
2023 Sojourn ‘Sonoma Coast’ Chardonnay- The 2023 ‘Sonoma Coast’ Chardonnay delivers sea salt dusted peach and pear flavors that combine with nutty and flinty undertones on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, with good verve, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2023 Sojourn ‘Sangiacomo Vineyard’ Chardonnay- The really good 2023 Sojourn ‘Sangiacomo Vineyard’ Chardonnay delivers a beautiful melange of citrus and tropical fruits on the nose, showing baking spices and shades of damp soils on the nose. Soft and round on the mouth, with buttery accents, this is already drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2023 Sojourn ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Salty and very bright, the 2023 ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Chardonnay leads with bright pear and walnut notes on the nose alongside salted melon fruits. The palate is round and generous with a seamless mouthfeel and good sense of tension and salinity from this famed site neighboring the Pacific. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 95
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Sonoma Coast’ Pinot Noir- This is one of the first of its kind from 2023 that I have tasted, coming from the Sonoma Coast AVA. Salty soils and cranberry tones mark the nose alongside shades of blood orange zest. The palate is soft and refined with good salty character with cran-cola and shades of Bing cherry. Very delicious, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 93
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Nightwing Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 ‘Nightwing Vineyard’ comes from this site owned by MacRostie, and set on a hillside at 1200 feet. Juicy red fruit flavors mingle well with salty soils, pipe tobacco and loamy soils on the palate. Showing a smooth texture and good sense of minerality, enjoy this beauty now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2024-2037- 95
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Uberroth Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Uberroth Vineyard’ is located in the Petaluma Gap which is a windy site in the Sonoma Coast AVA. This 2023 Pinot Noir offers cola notes alongside sassafras, black raspberry and shades of salty soils on the palate. Generous and broad-shouldered, with a bright sense of minerality, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Rodgers Creek Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- For years wines from the ‘Rodgers Creek Vineyard’ have impressed from this location on a ridge in the Sonoma Coast AVA. Like the ’22 bottling, the ’23 is a viscous Pinot Noir with gorgeous tension and a great melange of red and black fruit flavors with the salty, citrus rind undertones. Full-bodied and delicious, enjoy this Beaty now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 95
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The acclaimed ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ comes from this location that neighbors the Pacific Ocean. This comes off slightly less dense than the ’22 edition but is equally good, with better underlying verve. Salted strawberry and cranberry fruits mingle well with pipe tobacco, wet gravel and suggestions of guava puree with citrus rind accents. A joy to consume now, enjoy over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2024-2040- 96
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘UV Lucky Well Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘UV Lucky Well Vineyard’ is a site that was formerly farmed by the Valdez family. This Sonoma Coast AVA site has a great deal of fog and wind. The palate unveils a great range of red and black fruits alongside copious minerals, damp soils and stony accents. Dense and generous, drinking beautifully now, enjoy over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Sangiacomo Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 Sangiacomo Vineyard comes from this windy site in the Sonoma Coast AVA. Once on the nose this takes on layers of dense red fruits alongside freshly tilled loamy soils, sage and shades of lavender. The palate is plush and round with a smooth texture and generous core of heady red fruits. Beautifully evolved in its youth, enjoy over the next ten plus years. Drink 2024-2036- 94
2023 Sojourn Cellars ‘Walala Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding 2023 ‘Walala Vineyard’ Pinot Noir bottling is sourced from this Sonoma Coast AVA location that is near the Pacific Ocean. Wonderfully briny on the palate, this delivers salted red raspberry and Yakima cherry flavors that collide with copious minerals and satsuma orange zest on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with fabulous structure, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Sojourn Cellars ‘Home Ranch Cuvee’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 ‘Home Ranch Cuvee’ is sourced from this location in southwestern Sonoma County that was planted by Sojourn founder Craig Haserot in 2002. Soft and refined on the mouth, this shows sweet pipe tobacco and black cherry compote flavors alongside shades of black licorice on the palate. Medium bodied, with good tension, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2022 Sojourn Cellars ‘Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The really good 2022 Sojourn Cellars ‘Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III’ Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from this famed Napa site first planted in 1895 by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford. It comes off deeply perfumed, evoking pencil lead and sandalwood tones on the nose alongside allspice dusted black fruits and tar accents. The palate is plush and refined with a silky texture and generous mouthfeel. Gorgeous now, enjoy over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2036- 94