The common thread in all these wines was their harmonious character featuring a seamless melding of ample fruit, buoyed by bright acidity and polished tannins. And all were beautifully accented with very appealing savory notes that make Pinot Noir such a treat!

Winemaker Gary Farrell founded his eponymous brand in 1982 after working with Russian River Valley vintners such as Davis Bynum, Joe Rochioli, Tom Dehlinger and Robert Stemmler. He, along with the aforementioned gentlemen pioneered, world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay produced from newly recognized (1983) Russian River Valley AVA. Farrell sold the brand, to giant Allied Domecq in 2004, but it continues to produce outstanding terroir-focused Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from distinguished vineyards in the Russian River Valley and beyond.

A group of investors called Vincraft acquired the Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery brand in 2011. They hired Theresa Heredia, who has been the Winemaker and a de-facto brand ambassador since 2012. Click here for a wonderful profile of Heredia on Grape Collective.

I recently had the opportunity to taste three of their Russian River Pinot Noirs from the exceptional 2016 vintage. Two were from the Hallberg Vineyard, which is located in Green Valley, the only official sub-AVA of the Russian River Valley. The third wine is sourced from the Toboni Vineyard in the Santa Rosa Plain “neighborhood”, which is one of six smaller areas within the Russian River that stretch from Sebastopol to Santa Rosa and Forestville to Healdsburg. Each neighborhood has its own unique microclimate and soils.

Disclosure: I received these wines as a media samples. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.

2016 Hallberg Vineyard-Dijon Clones Pinot Noir

The Hallberg vineyard is situated in a site that enjoys refreshing daytime breezes and cool nighttime temperatures thanks to a strong marine influence.

Tasting note: Translucent ruby color with aromas of dark and red fruit, black tea. savory spice, clove and a hint of florality. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with mouth-watering acidity and well integrated polished tannins with black cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and cola flavors accented with savory spice with a long mineral driven finish. 100% Pinot with Dijon clones 777 and 667 from the east and west side of the Hallberg Ranch. Raised in French Oak (40% new) for 15 months. 13.7% abv|SRP – $60|937 cases produced|93pts

2016 Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir

Tasting note: Translucent ruby color with dark red fruit, rosehips, cola, damp earth in a redwood forest, violets and white pepper aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and fresh with elegant tannins. It shows dark cherry, pomegranate, red currant, white pepper and sarsaparilla flavor accented with baking and with savory spice with a kiss of damp earth. 100% Pinot Noir from the best blocks of the Hallberg Ranch including clones 667, 777, 828, Pommard and a mysterious “suitcase” clones. 13.9% abv|SRP – $55|1,542 cases produced|92pts

2016 Toboni Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Toboni Oakwild Ranch is located in the Santa Rosa Plain, just south of the winery. Each morning, the vineyard in bathed in fog that rises from the Russian River and cools the vines, while sunny warm days and breezy afternoons create optimal conditions for ripening fruit.

Tasting note: Translucent ruby color with dark red fruits, plum skin, earth, floral, and warm spice aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with mouth-watering acidity and polished tannins with black cherry, cranberry, plum, cola flavors with an appealing hint of savory spice flavors. 100% Pinot Noir raised in French oak (40% new) for 10 months. 14.1% abv|SRP – $55| 915 cases produced|91pts

All the wines were outstanding and have given me a renewed appreciation for Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. The common thread in all these wines was their harmonious character featuring a seamless melding of ample fruit, buoyed by bright acidity and polished tannins. And all were beautifully accented with very appealing savory notes that make Pinot Noir such a treat!

Thank you Folsom + Associates and Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery for sending these wines my way!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vivino and for all things wine.  As a wino with latent foodie tendencies, you’ll also find plenty of food and wine pairings, and wine related travel stuff!  Become a fan and join ENOFYLZ Wine Blog on Facebook. Cheers!

Copyright Notice: This entire site is Copyrighted 2010-2020. All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized copying of any section of this site is permitted. If you wish to use any part of this site, contact me. For information on Copyright Law, see the official U.S. Copyright Office home page.