2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Mid to light cherry red. Delicate red-cherry aromas with a light and attractive earthy quality to restrain the fruit sweetness. This is pure fruited with barely a hint of oak, certainly not in the flavour and perhaps only just in the texture – the tannins are super-fine but definite and give shape to the wine and lead to a long finish. According to Kutch, the use of 100% whole stems is what gives body to this wine, which has just 12.3% alcohol but does not feel light. The tannins build as you sip the wine and the combination of those and the freshness suggest it will age well over the next 5 years or more, probably longer, though I haven't tasted older vintages. (JH)

Dark red cherries, plums, spices, menthol and rose petals meld together in the 2013 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Dark, mysterious and supple in the glass, the 2013 is super pure and pretty today. Expressive savory notes from the 100% whole clusters add lift and nuance on the finish. The 2013 is a blend of fruit from Sonoma Stage, where the terrain is rich in clay, and McDougall, which is characterized by sandier soils. This is one of the best artisan Sonoma Coast Pinots readers will find for the money.

Mic blackish crimson. Pale rim. This wine is determined not to taste sweet! Admirable texture and freshness but just a little austere and sour to my taste. I admire the intend but this is not one to win over the where's-the-beef? crowd. I'm hoping the single vineyard bottlings have rather more seductive fruit. (JR)