We haven’t seen a Coleman Nicole Pinot since 2015! And not for lack of trying… At long last, we have a beautiful wine from our old friends, the soft, silky, delicious Coleman Nicole 2012 Russian River Valley Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir. We don’t need to tell you that Bacigalupi + Coleman Nicole is a stupendous pairing.

This Pinot is a gorgeous ruby red with a smooth gradient transitioning to maroon tones near the edge. On the nose, there’s tons of freshly tilled earth and white pepper, with almond, cardamom, and dried roses swirling around too. The fruit is bold on the palate with deep notes of black cherry, plum, and rhubarb. There’s also a hint vanilla bean and marzipan to give it a tasty twist. Even though it’s got a dramatic fruit profile, it’s a light-bodied Pinot Noir with oh-so-soft tannin that makes drinking this Russian River Valley treat effortless. If you’re in the mood for fish, but still want a red wine, then this is the combo and red snapper tacos with a spicy aioli would do the trick.

This wine was made by longtime Wine Spies Operative favorite winemaker, Jason Moore. Jason has stunned us with his wines, in the past, breaking sales records and creating many satisfied Operatives. Jason has made wines for Coleman Nicole, Modus Operandi, Gentleman Farmer (formerly Poem Cellars), Cielo Malibu Estate Vineyards, RHEO Cellars, and Ashton Lockett Wines.

Today’s wine hails from grapes grown by the world-renowned Bacigalupi family, whose vineyards in the Russian River Valley are nothing short of legendary. In fact, the winning wine from the same vineyard from which sprang the winning wine in the iconic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 (also known as the Judgment of Paris).

This event was a wine competition organized in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, in which French judges carried out two blind tasting comparisons: one of the top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines. A Californian wine rated best in each category, which caused shock and wonderment as France was generally regarded as being the foremost producer of the world’s best wines. Spurrier sold only French wine and believed that the California wines could not possibly win.

The Russian River Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), 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. 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.