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Fort Ross Vineyard
| Owner(s) | Linda Schwartz, Lester Schwrartz |
| Web site | www.fortrossvineyard.com |
| Link to this site |
Lester and Linda Schwartz came to the true Sonoma Coast from an unlikely location, South Africa. While students at the University of Cape Town in the 1960s, they met and shared their love for food and wine. They married in 1967, and emigrated to the United States nine years later, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lester longed for the country life he grew up with in South Africa and located a remote property in the high coastal ridges near the Pacific Ocean, just south of the small town of Fort Ross. He and Linda purchased the property, built an unusual house offering dramatic views of the surrounding countryside, and planted a vineyard.
Linda studied viticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College and took classes at University of California Davis. Although her background was in music composition, she had an affinity for working the soil and operatingfarm equipment. Lester and Linda, along with a small crew, began in 1994 to develop their 44-acre vineyard. They installed a sub-surface drainage system and miles of fencing to keep out the deer and wild boar. Preliminary plantings with a test vineyard indicated the area was ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vineyard is less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean, and is one of the closest, if not the closest vineyard to the ocean in all of coastal California. A total of 28 vineyard blocks ranging in size from one-half to two acres are planted in heterogeneous microclimates scattered over the ridge tops at 1200 to 1700 feet. Pinot Noir plantings included field selections of Calera, Pommard, Swan and Dijon clones 115 and 777. The winemaker is Ed Kurtzman.
Sales office is 550 Indiana St, San Francisco, CA. The wines have limited retail distribution and are available on the website . Vintages dating back to 2002 can be purchased from the winery’s library. The phone is 415-701-9200. There is also an excellent Chardonnay and Roseĭ available.
Articles About Fort Ross Vineyard
Reviewed Wines
2007 Fort Ross Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc.,
$30.
·
Minty, oaky aromas with alcohol peaking out. Rich and full on the palate
with delicious flavors of black cherries, plums, oak toast and a hint of white
pepper. A disjointed wine now with the flavors trumping the aromas. Worth
visiting in another year. Good (+).
Reviewed August 24, 2010
ARTICLE »
2005 Fort Ross Vineyard Estate Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 513 cases, $49. Aged 11
months in 40% new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. Website availability.
·
Very dark reddish-purple in color.
A big wine that attacks the senses with an onslaught of black cherry, baked plum, spice box and peppermint
aromas and prodigious dark fruits, clove and tar flavors. Still young and brooding. A little heat peaks out on the
finish.
Reviewed April 18, 2009
ARTICLE »
2005 Ft. Ross Vineyard & Winery Ft. Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 531 cases, $49. Well-known winemaker Ed
Kurtzman (Freeman, August West) crafts superb Pinot Noirs from this vineyard,
one of the closest (less than one mile) to the Pacific Ocean in the Sonoma
Coast appellation. This bottling is from the most distinctive barrels,
many of which are very shy-yielding old clone blocks. Aged 11 months in
40% new French oak.
·
Still a youngster and will need a good year or two to
come in to its own, but it is showing huge promise at this time. Silky entry, richly layered dark fruits, and
mouth-coating fine-grain tannins. Immensely satisfying.
Reviewed July 7, 2008
ARTICLE »
2005 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 500 cases, $60.
A barrel selection of the property’s finest wine. Not released on winery’s website for sale but obtained thru a
retail source.
·
This is a spirited wine showing black cherry fruit with a touch of Asian spice and oak. The
aromatics are unyielding and the wine needs time to shed its tannins. This is a debutante waiting in the
wings to come out. A few years in the cellar will highly reward the patient drinker.
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 917 cases, $39.
A year with light berry set. Some blocks only produced a
half ton per acre. Harvest was mid to late September. Aged 11 months
in 45% new French oak. Pommard, Swan, Dijon 115, 777 clones.
·
A nondescript perfume with a hint of strawberry and peppermint. Understated
with light-weight fruit. Soft, elegant and nicely balanced.
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 370 cases, $49.
Calera and Dijon 115 clones. Aged 11 months in 50% new French oak.
·
This wine’s aromatics are a little more expressive with darker fruits, cola and sawdust.
The blue and black Pinot fruits are nicely spiced. Soft and pillowy, the balance is right on. This
beauty is deserving of the Reserve designation and among the wines tasted, showing the most leg at this
time. Queen of the Hop.
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Sea Slopes Signature Reserve Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 73 cases, $50. A limited release reserve wine
sold by retailer, Bounty Hunter, in Napa.
·
The nose is rich with black cherry fruit.
Lovely, hi-tone cherry and raspberry flavors accompanied by a meatiness and
some sauvage with notable drying tannins. The berry fruit on the finish persists for
many seconds. The mouth feel is silky. Classical Pommard in character, this wine
was drinking beautifully the next day from a re-corked bottle. A keeper.
Reviewed May 7, 2008
ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Symposium Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
($28)
·
An easier drinking version of the estate Pinot
Noir with some Pinotage added.
Reviewed March 5, 2007
ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinotage
14.7% alc., 400 cases, $32.
Pinotage is vinified in a similar fashion as Pinot Noir. After a cold soak and fermentation in open-top fermenters, the wine is pressed and aged in primarily one-year-old French oak for 15 months. It is estate grown from proprietary Pinotage clones and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
·
A very complex nose featuring cherry, cranberry, iodine, spearmint, wax and even fresh paint. Luscious hi-tone black raspberry fruit with a hint of spice. Velvety in texture with ripe, suave tannins. Excellent!
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Vineyard Symposium Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.7% alc., 688 cases, $32. 96%
Pinot Noir and 4% Pinotage. Aged 16 months in 50% new French oak.
·
An earth-based nose with moodier and darker fruits. A little pepper and farmyard adds interest. Delicious flavors of cherry pie, nutmeg, strawberries and cookie dough. Nicely balanced with an appropriate acid backbone.
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
($37). The estate vineyard has a nice mix of Calera,
Swan and Pommard selections along with Dijon clones 115 and 777.
·
This Pinot is
a love letter from the Coast with its charming perfume, ethereal style, powdery
tannins, and refined acidity on the backend.
Reviewed March 5, 2007
ARTICLE »
2001 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 112 cases.
Individual blocks were harvested on multiple occasions based upon flavor profile and ripeness of each vine.
Yields were low. The clones and different vineyard blocks were kept separate during winemaking.
The final blend was chosen from barrels which had distinctive fruit concentration, complexity and
balance. Aged 18 months in 60% new French oak.
·
Lightest in color of the wines tasted with a slight auburn cast to rim. Initially the nose was subtle but seductive with cherries and fresh-sawed oak. Over time, the aromas came alive with savory cherry and spice enhanced by old wood and leather charm. Red cherry flavors were soft and light. The fruit has faded a bit, but I liked this wine for its finesse. Drink up.
Reviewed December 3, 2007
ARTICLE »
2007 Fort Ross Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., $30. · Minty, oaky aromas with alcohol peaking out. Rich and full on the palate with delicious flavors of black cherries, plums, oak toast and a hint of white pepper. A disjointed wine now with the flavors trumping the aromas. Worth visiting in another year. Good (+). Reviewed August 24, 2010 ARTICLE »
2005 Fort Ross Vineyard Estate Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 513 cases, $49. Aged 11 months in 40% new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. Website availability. · Very dark reddish-purple in color. A big wine that attacks the senses with an onslaught of black cherry, baked plum, spice box and peppermint aromas and prodigious dark fruits, clove and tar flavors. Still young and brooding. A little heat peaks out on the finish. Reviewed April 18, 2009 ARTICLE »
2005 Ft. Ross Vineyard & Winery Ft. Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 531 cases, $49. Well-known winemaker Ed Kurtzman (Freeman, August West) crafts superb Pinot Noirs from this vineyard, one of the closest (less than one mile) to the Pacific Ocean in the Sonoma Coast appellation. This bottling is from the most distinctive barrels, many of which are very shy-yielding old clone blocks. Aged 11 months in 40% new French oak. · Still a youngster and will need a good year or two to come in to its own, but it is showing huge promise at this time. Silky entry, richly layered dark fruits, and mouth-coating fine-grain tannins. Immensely satisfying. Reviewed July 7, 2008 ARTICLE »
2005 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 500 cases, $60. A barrel selection of the property’s finest wine. Not released on winery’s website for sale but obtained thru a retail source. · This is a spirited wine showing black cherry fruit with a touch of Asian spice and oak. The aromatics are unyielding and the wine needs time to shed its tannins. This is a debutante waiting in the wings to come out. A few years in the cellar will highly reward the patient drinker. Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 917 cases, $39. A year with light berry set. Some blocks only produced a half ton per acre. Harvest was mid to late September. Aged 11 months in 45% new French oak. Pommard, Swan, Dijon 115, 777 clones. · A nondescript perfume with a hint of strawberry and peppermint. Understated with light-weight fruit. Soft, elegant and nicely balanced. Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 370 cases, $49. Calera and Dijon 115 clones. Aged 11 months in 50% new French oak. · This wine’s aromatics are a little more expressive with darker fruits, cola and sawdust. The blue and black Pinot fruits are nicely spiced. Soft and pillowy, the balance is right on. This beauty is deserving of the Reserve designation and among the wines tasted, showing the most leg at this time. Queen of the Hop. Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
2004 Fort Ross Sea Slopes Signature Reserve Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.0% alc., 73 cases, $50. A limited release reserve wine sold by retailer, Bounty Hunter, in Napa. · The nose is rich with black cherry fruit. Lovely, hi-tone cherry and raspberry flavors accompanied by a meatiness and some sauvage with notable drying tannins. The berry fruit on the finish persists for many seconds. The mouth feel is silky. Classical Pommard in character, this wine was drinking beautifully the next day from a re-corked bottle. A keeper. Reviewed May 7, 2008 ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Symposium Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
($28) · An easier drinking version of the estate Pinot Noir with some Pinotage added. Reviewed March 5, 2007 ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinotage
14.7% alc., 400 cases, $32. Pinotage is vinified in a similar fashion as Pinot Noir. After a cold soak and fermentation in open-top fermenters, the wine is pressed and aged in primarily one-year-old French oak for 15 months. It is estate grown from proprietary Pinotage clones and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. · A very complex nose featuring cherry, cranberry, iodine, spearmint, wax and even fresh paint. Luscious hi-tone black raspberry fruit with a hint of spice. Velvety in texture with ripe, suave tannins. Excellent! Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Vineyard Symposium Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.7% alc., 688 cases, $32. 96% Pinot Noir and 4% Pinotage. Aged 16 months in 50% new French oak. · An earth-based nose with moodier and darker fruits. A little pepper and farmyard adds interest. Delicious flavors of cherry pie, nutmeg, strawberries and cookie dough. Nicely balanced with an appropriate acid backbone. Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
2003 Fort Ross Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
($37). The estate vineyard has a nice mix of Calera, Swan and Pommard selections along with Dijon clones 115 and 777. · This Pinot is a love letter from the Coast with its charming perfume, ethereal style, powdery tannins, and refined acidity on the backend. Reviewed March 5, 2007 ARTICLE »
2001 Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
14.5% alc., 112 cases. Individual blocks were harvested on multiple occasions based upon flavor profile and ripeness of each vine. Yields were low. The clones and different vineyard blocks were kept separate during winemaking. The final blend was chosen from barrels which had distinctive fruit concentration, complexity and balance. Aged 18 months in 60% new French oak. · Lightest in color of the wines tasted with a slight auburn cast to rim. Initially the nose was subtle but seductive with cherries and fresh-sawed oak. Over time, the aromas came alive with savory cherry and spice enhanced by old wood and leather charm. Red cherry flavors were soft and light. The fruit has faded a bit, but I liked this wine for its finesse. Drink up. Reviewed December 3, 2007 ARTICLE »
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