Must-have Pinot from Porter Creek
With the surge in popularity of "authentically made" wine, California wineries that fit the profile are running low on inventory.
It's a big shift. For decades the market zeroed in on flashier "Parker" styles; then the pendulum swung to lean, IPOB styles. Meanwhile many of these humble, "terroir-driven" wineries quietly pursued their own North Star with little fanfare.
But now, authentic wines are very much in demand and there's less to go around. Such as Porter Creek. Their DTC business is booming leaving less for distribution.
As the wines are in shorter supply, I wanted to let you know the 2019 Porter Creek Russian River Estate Pinot Noir is now in stock.
When it comes to authenticity, Porter Creek is hard to beat. For one thing, Porter Creek is one of the original Russian River Pinot Noir producers, established in 1978 near Rochioli (pinot first planted in 1968), and a year before Williams Selyem (1979).
The winery is still owned by the original founding Davis family, who have farmed organically for decades and have preserved the old vines planted in 1973 before they purchased the estate—which are some of Sonoma's oldest Pinot Noir vines.
While some Sonoma Pinot Noir wineries speak of a "Burgundian" influenced style, Alex Davis has a real Burgundy pedigree: he went to enology school in Dijon 25 years ago and apprenticed with Guigal and Roumier.
Porter Creek conveys its authenticity in spades when customers come to the tasting room; the winery is not slinging branded backpacks and tchotchkes but delivering a charming atmosphere with friendly people and honest wines. Indeed, Porter Creek is now on the SF Chronicle's 25 tasting rooms to visit.
Porter Creek's Russian River Pinot Noir is a great introduction to the Porter Creek line. Like all of Porter Creek's Pinot Noirs, the fruit is grown on steep estate hillside vineyards using organic and biodynamic methods. The winemaking is old-world, using hand punchdowns, native yeast and minimal interventions. At $45-50 retail, the wine is a steal relative to its peers.
Of course, Porter Creek is best known for its flagship Pinot Noir, Fiona Hill; and we have the 2018 vintage in stock. Grown on a steep hillside vineyard with an ideal southern face in soils of hard clay over fractured stone, the vines struggle for water, resulting in a very expressive, unique vineyard designate wine.
And for authenticity "maximalists" there's the very special Porter Creek Hillside Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018, made from some of oldest Pinot Noir vines in the Russian River Valley and indeed Sonoma. Aromatically it leans in the red fruit and rose petal spectrum, with dark red fruit in the background giving some palate weight. Just a few cases available.
Whichever suits your program, grab some Porter Creek while you can.
