Davis Family Vineyards

Articles About Davis Family Vineyards

Reviewed Wines

2009 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., 740 cases, $40. · Moderate reddish-purple hue in the glass. Lovely aromas of fresh Bing cherries and a hint of oak spice. The nose really draws you in. Tasty core of darker cherries with nuances of savory herbs, Pepsi-Cola, pomegranate, baking spice and the finest dusting of oak. Moderately intensely flavored with soft, gossamer tannins. A beautiful, seamless wine that is irresistible. Very approachable now, but will age effortlessly. Much better the next day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. Reviewed November 2, 2011 ARTICLE »

2009 Davis Family Vineyards Starr Ridge Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc, 225 cases, $40. · Medium ruby color in the glass. Quintessential Russian River Valley Pinot Noir sporting aromas and flavors of Bing cherries, baking spices and cola with a moderate dose of red raspberries and red currants. Still has firm tannins that will soften over time, but the wine is very enticing now. Finishes strong with impressive mouth coating intensity and a refreshing riff of acidity. A classy wine from a mature vineyard that is now coming in to its own. Reviewed November 2, 2011 ARTICLE »

2009 Davis Family Vineyards Horseshoe Bend Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., 225 cases, $42. From a ridgetop vineyard close to the Pacific Ocean on the western flank of the Russian River Valley AVA. A cool site above the Russian River Valley fog line, creating long days of sunlight and a darker, masculine expression of Pinot Noir. · Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Brooding nose initially, offering dark red berry, black stone fruit, and oak-driven roasted nut and vanillin aromas. Opens slowly over time in the glass becoming glorious with the oak notes moving to the background and fresh, ripe, and spicy dark fruits coming to the foreground. Medium-weighted flavors of plum reduction sauce, black currants, raw beef and a hint of tar and oak. This wine has a unique feral attitude and an unmistakable sense of terroir that grabs your interest. Polished and seamless with soft tannins, this wine will be even more expressive with more time in the bottle. Reviewed November 2, 2011 ARTICLE »

2009 Davis Family Vineyards Soul Patch Estate Grown Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., 525 cases, $42. · Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Pleasing aromas of black cherry cobbler, bay leaf and roasted nuts. Discreetly concentrated flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and plum with the plum singing a high note on the impressively persistent finish. Moderate ripe tannins frame the wine beautifully creating a very smooth and silky mouth feel. Will improve with cellaring. Very good. Reviewed November 2, 2011 ARTICLE »

2008 Davis Family Vineyards Horseshoe Bend Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.7% alc., $42 (but available for as little as $32 in retail marketplace). · This wine pleases with aromas of dark stone fruits, including spiced prunes. Highly enjoyable flavors of dark berries, dark stone fruits, stewed prunes and dark chocolate. Sappier and riper than the Soul Patch bottling, but not jammy, and possessing the same harmony and silky texture. Typical warm weather Pinot. Very good. Reviewed November 7, 2010 ARTICLE »

2008 Davis Family Vineyards Soul Patch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.3% alc., $42 (but available for as little as $32 in retail marketplace). Proprietor and winemaker Guy Davis consistently crafts outstanding Pinot Noirs. · Captivating perfume of rich and deep ripe dark berries with a hint of dried rose hips and cut flowers. Mouth coating flavors of fresh picked black raspberries and blackberries that attack the mid palate with a vengeance and persist on the long and lush finish. Striking in its impeccable balance and sexy, silky texture. Class in the glass. Reviewed November 7, 2010 ARTICLE »

2007 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.3% alc., $40. Tenth anniversary vintage (1997-2007). Best of Class and Gold Medal at the 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. It must be gratifying to Guy Davis to have such a remarkable wine to commemorate his tenth vintage. · Bright reddish-purple color in the glass. Intense and penetrating aromas of Bing cherries, raspberries, strawberries, spice and cola. Discreetly rich, slightly confected flavors that mimic the aromas. Fresh, clean and juicy with caressing tannins, refreshing acidity and an underlying mineral edge. A perfectly harmonious wine that is quintessential Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Reviewed December 16, 2009 ARTICLE »

2007 Davis Family Vineyards PinnaCole 10th Annniversary Vintage Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., $60. A reserve estate wine that receives an additional 6 months in barrel and 12 months in bottle. Offered to wine club and mailing list members in early September (check winery for availability). · Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass. The nose opens very slowly to reveal a haunting mix of cherries and berries with an appealing grassy, herbal note. Delicious black cherry and black raspberry core of moderate intensity lingering on the long citrus-tinged finish. A subtle dark chocolate note adds interest. Still young and a bit tight, improving slowing in the glass over time and becoming more polished and showy the next day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. Beautifully crafted with well-honed acidity that brightens the fruit. A little fruitier with silkier tannins than its spectacular 2006 predecessor, and every bit as charming. Decant if you must open now. Reviewed November 2, 2011 ARTICLE »

2006 Davis Family Vineyards PinnaCole Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., 70 cases, $60. · Complex aromatic profile showing aromas of Bing cherries, dark chocolate, spice, wine cave and oak toast. Marvelous tasting core of chocolate-covered cherries with hints of cola, macaroon and earth robed in ripe tannins and bright acidity. Very smooth on the palate with a lasting cherry-filled finish. A dead ringer for a Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Burgundy. Cellaring for a few years will produce a wine that Pinot geeks will fight over. If you must drink now, decant and bring on the short ribs. Reviewed February 15, 2010 ARTICLE »

2005 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

13.9% alc., 957 cases, $40. Fermented in small temperature controlled fermenters. Each clone was kept separate and blended later according to Davis’s preferences. Aging was carried out for 11 months in 40% new French oak from Allier and Troncais forests, air-dried a minimum of 30 months. · The aromatics need some air to emerge, showing seductive darker fruits The fruit attack is quite pleasing with black cherry, raisin and mushroom leading to a finish with barely perceptible tannins. Nicely crafted and easy to like, it is a very good wine that is still a bit closed and will improve with more time in the bottle. Hold off for another 6 months. Reviewed January 20, 2008 ARTICLE »

2005 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., $40 · Very slight yellowing of rim edge in the glass. Ripe cherries, raisin, cola and a hint of oak toast on the generous nose. Juicy cherry and strawberry fruit with hints of secondary flavors of savory dried herbs, Pinot reduction sauce and sherry. Still vibrant and silky in the mouth. Probably slightly oxidized. Very good. Reviewed December 16, 2009 ARTICLE »

2004 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

900 cases, $38. I have participated in the Pinot Noir Shootout for two years now, and every time a Davis Family Pinot is in the lineup, I pick it out as superb. Guy Davis hand farms 7 acres of Pinot Noir from which he produces a single-vineyard estate Pinot Noir each year. His wines are consistently outstanding and available at his tasting room in Healdsburg or through the website. · This Pinot is medium-bodied with an expressive nose of spicy cherries. Cherries and raspberries with a touch of oak saturate the midpalate. The mouth feel is velvety. The finish is satisfying and clean. A complete wine. Reviewed January 22, 2007 ARTICLE »

2004 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

14.1% alc., 800 cases, $38. This is one of the most highly awarded Sonoma County Pinot Noirs from the 2004 vintage. Accolades include 95-100 points from Gerald Boyd of the San Francisco Chronicle, a Gold Medal at the 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and a top ranking in the 2006 Pinot Noir Shootout. As a judge in the Shootout, I tasted this wine blind on two separate occasions and both times picked it out as one of my clear favorites. Words probably can't do the wine justice after all these honors. · The nose is very provocative and complex with notes of cherries, raspberries, cola, sandalwood and a little sauvage. The bright and layered Pinot fruit flavors are perfectly entwined with a fine tannin backbone. The mouth feel is plush and the finish is clean and lingering. Complete in every way. A love letter. Reviewed May 22, 2006

2003 Davis Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

13.9% alc., $35. · Lovely and heady black cherry and strawberry scents that fade quickly in the glass replaced by savory aromas of herbs and oak. Juicy and hit-pitched core of cherries, cranberries and strawberries with oak, dark chocolate and black tea in the background. Racy and a bit tart with fine-grain tannins. This wine has aged gracefully. Decent (+). Reviewed December 16, 2009 ARTICLE »