- 707-582-1228
1110 Burlingame Ave, Ste 211, Burlingame, CA 94010
Ask us for the best Sonoma Pinot Noir, and you’ll get a shrug and a bottle. We know one wine well: our 2015 Bennett Valley Single Vineyard Pinot Noir. We grow it. We make it. People ask about the best Sonoma Pinot Noir wineries too, and the best Sonoma wineries for Pinot Noir overall, which is fair. We just can’t speak for anyone else’s cellar.
It costs $72 a bottle, which puts it well inside any search for the best Pinot Noir Sonoma under $150. Medium body, good balance, and it’s happy next to a plain weeknight dinner. It’s eleven years past harvest now and still showing well. We’ll walk you through the vineyard, the cellar, and how we like to pour it.
Bennett Valley is ringed by three mountains: Sonoma Mountain, Taylor Mountain and Bennett Mountain. Crane Canyon is the gap where the fog gets in. Summers run cooler up here. Fruit ripens slowly, which Pinot Noir loves, and the acidity stays sharp and bright.
On a map, Bennett Valley sits inside the larger Sonoma Valley AVA, but it’s cooler than most of it and has its own name. Looking for the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma Valley? Start here. Anyone mapping out the best wineries to visit in Sonoma for Pinot Noir should put Bennett Valley on the list.
Ours is a small vineyard, 2.5 acres of volcanic soil. We’re fine with that. Valley oaks stand all around, and a seasonal creek runs from Annadel State Park down to the Matanzas Creek Reservoir. We farm five separate blocks, each with its own soil structure, so each one adds something a little different to the wine.
Louisa and Lorenz walked this land in 2006 and liked what they saw: volcanic soil and a cool marine breeze. Louisa didn’t stop there. Before any vines went in, she had a soil scientist study the soils and microclimates and run a climate analysis for the years ahead. The land, it turned out, was right for Pinot Noir.
Three clones went in: Calera, Dijon 777, and Pommard. Louisa wanted nuance and balance, and she spread them over the five blocks. That’s how Zeka Vineyards started. It’s still a family project built on passion and purpose.
Louisa and Lorenz fell for fine wine while traveling in Europe for work, especially in Burgundy. The Burgundy wines they tried on those trips never left them. Those wines are elegant and quiet, and they taste like where they’re from. We want ours to do the same, with plenty of fruit and texture and enough backbone to age well. That’s what we aim for in the best Pinot Noir Sonoma County can grow.
A vineyard team works each block. Pruning keeps yields low. Picking is by hand, and we wait until the fruit is balanced.
Patrick Saboe, our Director of Winemaking, guides the process. The grapes go into stainless steel tanks without much destemming, and some whole clusters go in too. Then the wine ferments for a long while. After that, it moves into French oak. We want the oak to give shape, not flavor that crowds out the fruit.
No shortcuts here. It takes as long as it takes.
For anyone planning the best Pinot Noir wine tasting in Sonoma, or the best Pinot Noir tasting in Sonoma at home, here is what’s in our glass.
Dark cherries, dark fruit, baking spices.
Dark cherry first, then plum, a little cinnamon, and a trace of raspberry.
Medium body, soft tannins, soft acidity. Nothing jumps out. Eleven years on, it’s still elegant.
People have plenty of opinions on the best year for Sonoma Pinot Noir, and there isn’t one answer. Still, 2015 is worth knowing about.
It was California’s fourth dry year running. Early guesses had Sonoma’s crop down about 30% from 2014.
Fewer grapes means more flavor in each one. Vinous called the Sonoma Pinots from that year dense and plush, but still fresh.
Our wines keep improving with time. Honestly, though, they’re hard to leave alone.
Comfort food and meat dishes are our go-to. Roast chicken, pork tenderloin, duck and mushroom dishes work well too. And if you’d rather skip dinner and sip it on its own, that’s a fine plan.
We like it around 55 to 60°F. Grab a big glass and wait a few minutes, because the wine shifts a lot while you wait. Sonoma Pinot Noir best shows its character that way. You only need a decanter if there’s sediment.
Single vineyard just means every grape came from one place. For us, that’s our Bennett Valley estate, with its volcanic soil, valley oaks, and early morning fog.
The place stays the same. The weather is the part that moves, and that’s why no two vintages taste quite alike. Ask ten people about the best Pinot Noir Sonoma has to offer, or the best Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir, and you’ll get ten answers.
Our take on the best Pinot Noir in Sonoma: it’s the one that tastes like where it came from.
Depends who’s drinking. Ours is medium-bodied, with dark cherry, plum, and baking spice, from our own Bennett Valley vines. If that’s your style, try the 2015.
Yes. It’s the top red grape in Sonoma County, with over 13,000 acres planted across 19 growing areas. Coastal fog does most of the work, and Bennett Valley catches plenty of it.
No single winner. It varies by area and by producer. Many 2010s vintages get praise, and 2021 does too. We pour 2015: small crop, concentrated fruit.
Ours fits. The 2015 Bennett Valley Single Vineyard is $72, and every grape comes from one vineyard we farm ourselves.
Dark cherry and plum up front. Cinnamon, baking spice, and deeper dark fruit sit behind them. Medium body, soft tannins, soft acidity.
Ours is. It’s still drinking exceptionally well and has kept its charm and elegance. We also believe our wines improve with more aging, so you can open it now or wait a little longer.
We love ours with comfort food and meat dishes. Roast chicken, pork, duck, and mushroom dishes are all good matches.
Slightly cool is best, around 55 to 60°F. If it’s too warm, the alcohol stands out. If it’s too cold, the aromas stay quiet.
Often a few minutes in the glass is enough. If an older bottle has sediment, pour slowly and leave the last bit behind.
Re-cork it and keep it in the refrigerator. Try to finish it within a few days, because the fruit fades as it sits.
If you like Pinot Noir that’s balanced and layered rather than big and heavy, we think you’ll enjoy this one. You can order the 2015 Bennett Valley Single Vineyard Pinot Noir here.
Please enjoy wine responsibly. You must be 21 or older to purchase.
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