Waypoint Pinot Noir Starscape Vineyard Russian River Valley 2021

“From Starscape Vineyard, which borders Ritchie Vineyard to the east, sharing a treelined border smack in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. The 2020 release was the first vintage of this Pinot Noir from the Waypoint label. While consultant winemaker Philippe Melka has worked with grapes from Starscape for several years, in-house winemaker Matt Sands is wading into new territory with Pinot-making and knows it is pushing the boundaries a bit for him. My tasting revealed a slight tug of war—Sands is exceptionally talented at crafting deliciously dark and structured Cabernet Sauvignon, and his initial foray into Pinot Noir making reveals a heavier hand. In time, there is no question that he’ll find a lighter touch. Here, we have a brooding, dark wine with lots of toasty oak, espresso bean, and coffee, matched by a weighty, medium to full-bodied palate with very juicy black cherry, vanillin and cola spices. Sappy tannins lead to a caramel-creamy oak finish. Sourced from the vineyard’s 5 and 6 blocks planted to clones 115 and 667 and aged 12 months in 42% new French oak. Waypoint is a label in the New Frontier Wine Co. portfolio.”

“Quite full of ripe red and black fruit, this full-bodied wine smells fruity, almost jammy, and tastes rich, deep and generous. Moderate tannins and underlying acidity add some balance to the broad, plump fruit. Drink now.”