Cobb Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2023
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The Land
The Sonoma Coast AVA on paper is enormous and nearly meaningless, stretching from the Pacific inland across wildly different climates. The part that matters is the far western edge, the true coast, where fog sits in the canyons past noon and Pinot Noir ripens weeks later than it does anywhere warmer. Cobb works this narrow band. The family's Coastlands vineyard sits at 1,150 feet, three miles from the ocean, on marine sedimentary soils, planted between 1989 and 1998. Other sites around Occidental and the Sebastopol Hills sit on Goldridge sandy loam, the ancient uplifted seabed that gives this corner of California its reputation, sometimes with volcanic ash mixed through. Cold, marginal, high, and close to the water: that is the whole formula.
The Wine
100% Pinot Noir from cool western Sonoma Coast fruit. Whole clusters are a deliberate part of the method here, typically a substantial proportion, which is why these wines carry stem spice, a floral top note, and a firmer savory structure than the fruit-forward California norm. Nothing is extracted hard, and the oak stays in the background. Farming is organic and regenerative across the sites Ross Cobb controls, which is a working method rather than a marketing line: he studied soil science at UC Santa Cruz before coming back to the family vineyard. Expect red cherry, cranberry, dried rose, blood orange, black tea, and forest floor, with fine tannin, cutting acidity, and a long, savory, mineral finish. Light on its feet and built to age.
The People
Cobb Wines was founded in 2001 by Ross Cobb and his parents, working from Coastlands, the vineyard the family planted on a remote ridge above Occidental at a time when almost nobody was farming that far west. Ross had spent years making wine at other Sonoma addresses before the project became his full focus, and the house style has been consistent throughout: pick early, use whole clusters, keep alcohol moderate, and let the site do the talking. Production is small and site-specific, with separate bottlings from individual vineyards rather than one blended flagship.
Food Pairing
Coastal Pinot at this weight wants clean, savory cooking. Grilled salmon with herbs, roast chicken with mushrooms, duck breast with cherries, or a plate of soft-rind cheese and country bread. The stem spice and forest-floor character work with mushrooms and root vegetables, and the acidity handles fat without needing tannin to do it. Serve it slightly cool, around 60 degrees, and give it thirty minutes open.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Sonoma County, located west of Napa Valley and stretching to the Pacific Ocean, is a large and diverse wine region in California. With a history of winemaking dating back to the 19th century, Sonoma's varied terroir allows it to grow grapes in multiple places throughout the region. Bordered by the Mayacamas Mountains on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, the county encompasses a range of climates and soils. The Russian River Valley, known for its cool climate influenced by fog, is acclaimed for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Alexander Valley, further inland and warmer, excels with Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sonoma Coast, a region directly influenced by the Pacific's cool breezes and fog, is gaining recognition for elegant, cool-climate wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This diverse landscape provides the fruit for an array of styles.
California - Sonoma County
Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned, notoriously difficult-to-grow, low-yielding grape that finds its ancestral home in Burgundy, France, where it produces some of the world's most elegant and nuanced wines. While Burgundy remains its spiritual heartland, Pinot Noir has since traveled the globe, finding success in other cooler climates, notably in California, Oregon, New Zealand, and Germany. This grape is a challenge for any grower, as it requires specific conditions to show its best, and yet the wines it produces are capable of such a captivating and singular character.
