We’re giddy with excitement today! We have a lovely, juicy, 90 point (Wine Enthusiast Magazine) wine that our whole tasting panel loved.

It’s no wonder that today’s Cardinal Rule 2014 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is so good… It was made by our old friend, Erik Miller, of Kokomo and Amphora fame. Erik’s wines are stupendous. - and both Erik and his wines have been featured on many a Top List.

This wine is inviting and full on the nose, with aromas of black cherry, cherry cola, dried mushroom, red currant, forest floor, subtle spice, super subtle cedar and just a hint of gunpowder.

Super juicy on the palate, with flavors of fresh Bing cherry juice, blackberry preserve, cassis, rose petal, young raspberry, dried orange peel and soft spice.

The Russian River Valley, in Sonoma County, produces Pinot Noir of remarkable distinction. The cooler maritime conditions of the region make the Russian River Valley ideal for growing Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley in Sonoma is particularly well suited to producing exceptional Pinot Noir. This AVA was officially designated in 1983, but many of the wines in the region used the designation as early as the 1970s (early in California’s wine history) with the many of the vines having been first planted in the early 1900s.

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Here’s what the wine press has to say:

90 points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast - “Light in color and delicate in texture, this wine is bright in pomegranate and raspberry, with a spritzy, carbonic edge that brings freshness to a deep, rich finish of strawberry and tea.”