2018 Cobb Pinot Noir Doc’s Ranch Swan & Calera Selection

Wine Advocate 97 – “The 2018 Pinot Noir Doc’s Ranch Swan & Calera Selection is scented of red cherries and cranberries with tones of bitter citrus, tobacco leaves, dried flowers and Angostura bitters. Light-bodied, silty and incredibly fresh, its slim frame holds a surprising amount of pure, crunchy fruits, and it finishes with tremendous length and spicy layers. The Swan clone fruit included in this cuvée comes from vines planted in 1995, and the Calera clones were planted in 2011. It’s another 2018 from the Cobb portfolio that offers both ageability and immediate appeal.”

Vinous 96 – “The 2018 Pinot Noir Doc’s Ranch Vineyard Swan & Calera Selection is another fabulous wine in this range that brings together two heritage clones. Swan clone aromatics emerge from time to time, but the Calera tannins are a bit dominant at this stage. Here, too, readers will have to be very patient. There is a lot of wine here, for those who can wait.

Ross Cobb’s 2018 Pinots are impressive. All of the wines are delineated and precise, but they are also a bit compact at this stage. That should not come as a surprise to readers who know the wines, as Cobb’s Pinots typically need a few years in bottle to fully recover from bottling. All of the Pinots see 22 months in barrel (30% new), which is quite long by California standards…Readers who enjoy structured, vibrant Pinots will find so much to like in these new releases. The Pinots from Doc’s Ranch, a property next to Cobb’s own Coastlands, are especially of note.”