2015 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard
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The 2015 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard is another spectacular effort from this estate. Sourced from a block located on a mountain ridge north of Fort Ross in the Sonoma Coast AVA, at an elevation between 800 and 1,000 feet, it was completely destemmed, spent 16 months in 35% new French oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. It offers an extraordinary La Tâche-like bouquet of black raspberries, kirsch, Asian spices, dried flowers, violets, and crushed rocks. Deep, medium to full-bodied, awesomely textured and seamless, it has nicely integrated acidity, no hard edges, perfect balance, and a singular personality. It’s a fabulous expression of the Sonoma Coast that will keep for upwards of two decades. Don Hartford and winemaker Jeff Stewart have produced a sensational lineup of wines in 2015 (and I suspect 2016 as well). This is a smaller yielding year, and while quantities are tiny, the wines are concentrated, rich, and flamboyant while also staying elegant and seamless. These are world-class Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that readers need to seek out!
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard is the most powerful and tightly wound of the Pinots in this range. Compact and a touch austere, the 2015 offers plenty of persistence, but with less generosity than is typical of the year. Chalk, slate, mint, white pepper and red berry character are nicely layered. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 fleshes out a bit with time in bottle.
Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard offers up the most incredibly perfumed nose of red and purple flowers over a core of kirsch, cinnamon stick, red currant jelly and pomegranate with a waft of black tea. Medium to full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has an incredible texture of very firm, very fine-grained tannins and electric freshness, finishing very long and very layered. Still very young, give it a year or two and drink it over the next 15-20+ years. Totally worth finding for Pinot lovers! 385 cases produced.
Today, the 2015 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard comes across as raw, powerful and not fully formed. This is the least expressive of these 2015 Pinots today. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2015 is going to need time to come around. Game, leather, dark stone fruit and incisive tannins are front and center.