2017 "FRV" Pinot Noir - end of vintage!

93 Points - Wine Spectator
Suave, with a delicate mix of vibrant cherry, currant and huckleberry flavors that are backed by crunchy acidity. Shows minerally richness on the fine-textured finish. Drink now through 2025.

93 Points - Wine & Spirits
Initially cardamom-spicy, this wine's bright berry flavors leave quickly, begging the question, Will it open? A day later, the wine answers with a resounding Yes, lengthening out in a rash of strawberries and sandstone abrasion. It's a naked evocation of Fort Ross' coastal ridges, a pleasure to decant for grilled seafood. (627 cases). - Joshua Greene

92 Points - Wine Advocate
Scented of cranberries and red and black cherries with charcuterie, dusty earth and woodsmoke, the 2017 Pinot Noir Estate Fort Ross Vineyard has a light to medium-bodied palate with a good interplay of fruit, earth and meaty nuance. It has a grainy, fresh frame and finishes long. 

92 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of red currants, mulled cherries, and spicy, dried herb-like notes emerge from the 2017 Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard, a medium-bodied, elegant Pinot Noir with ripe tannins and terrific overall balance. It shows the more savory, concentrated style of the vintage and is an outstanding, complex 2017 to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years or so.

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Robustly built and yet elegant throughout, this estate-grown wine is forested with black-tea notes that meld against a foundation of bright red berry. Ample tannin structure evolves in the glass to show a nice supple quality and flecks of crushed rock and mineral.

92 Points - James Suckling
Super perfumed and complex, this has such richly spiced red-cherry aromas with a gently earthy edge, too. The palate holds a taut core of fine tannin that sweeps up plenty of ripe red-cherry flavor. Drink or hold. September 2019. 

2018 "FRV" Pinot Noir

94 Points, Year's Best US Pinot Noir (2021) - Wine & Spirits
Jeff Pisoni makes this wine for Lester and Linda Schwartz, at the 52-acre vineyard they planted in the 1990s. The elevations range from 1,200 to 1,700 feet on a ridge one mile from the Pacific, the kind of marginal site that excelled in the long, cool vintage of 2018, a season without heat spikes. The cold of the coast and the warmth of the sun generated a pinot noir with transparent red berry flavors and mineral brilliance to the darker tannins, their edges seeming to glint with facets of fruit complexity, reflecting black currants at the underside of ripeness against the brighter, zesty red-fruit flavor. Delicious now with duck rillettes, this is also suited to cellar time. - Joshua Greene

92 Points - Wine Spectator
Intensely fruity and well-structured, with cherry tart, raspberry and wild plum flavors that are filled with minerally freshness. Lithe finish has hints of licorice and slate. Drink now through 2025. - Kim Marcus

2019 "FRV" Pinot Noir - pre-release!

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of sous bois, sappy herbs, green flowers, and assorted red and slightly darker berry fruits emerge from the 2019 Pinot Noir Fort Ross Vineyard. A medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, balanced Pinot, this is one of the richer, more concentrated wines in the lineup. I like it today, yet I suspect it will develop additional complexity with another year or two of bottle age, and it should have a long life of 10-12 years, if not more.