Ripe red cherry and toasty oak aromas overlie a layer of toasted marshmallow, mineral, and caramel. Baking spice and creamy flavors follow in a nod to both variety and choice oak barrels. The mouth is smooth and balanced, creamy, with acidity underpinning, as cherry flavors hold court in a complex mélange of fruit, spice, and savory notes. The finish is elegant, with balance and grace, classic flavors of cherry compote and toasted oak through the end.
The Winery
The first to produce single vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in 1973, Davis Bynum was instrumental in bringing the prestige to Russian River Valley vineyards, still acclaimed as one of California’s finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing regions. Today, almost 50 years later, the heritage of Davis Bynum lives on through the hand-crafted creation of wines grown exclusively in Russian River Valley.
The Vineyard
Davis Bynum Pinot Noirs showcase terroir, differences in flavor from distinct sites in the Russian River Valley. This Russian River Valley Pinot blends the characters from four different vineyards in two unique RRV neighborhoods to create a wine with complexity and balance. Red fruit, spice, and ageable tannins come from the River West and Preston vineyards in the warm northern area famous for its historic vineyards, in a stretch of land along the Russian River known as the Middle Reach. Farther to the southwest lies an area called the Green Valley, known for its iconic sandy Goldridge soil, where the two Dutton Ranch vineyards lie, cool and fog-soaked from the ocean’s influence outside of the towns of Graton and Forestville, adding vibrant berry fruit and fresh acidity to the blend.
The Harvest
The 2022 vintage was very mild. Rain from the previous autumn was light, and the new year entered warm and dry with daytime highs up to 70°F in early spring. An unusual sprinkle of rain in early summer was no cause for concern, and the temperature turned predictably hot a few days in June as usual, but the season was mild overall, with most summer days peaking around 85-90°F. An early start to harvest came as no surprise with the seasonable weather, as we picked the different vineyard blocks from August 16 to September 10.
Winemaking
For this vintage of our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, we blended warmer climate fruit with that grown in a cooler area to create a wine with tension between the rich fruit and lush mouthfeel of a centrally located Russian River vineyard against the bright fruit and racy acidity from the westernmost vineyards. The blend was completed after each different vineyard block was aged separately for 15 months and reached our standard for what a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir should be.
Specs
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Appellation: 100% Russian River Valley
Vineyard: River West, Preston, Dutton Ranch-Lorenzo, Dutton Ranch-Gregori
Clones: 115, 667, 777, Pommard, Wente
Harvest Date: 8.16.22 – 9.10.22
Avg. Brix at Harvest: 25.3° Brix
Soil: Pleasanton gravelly clay loam, Yolo sandy clay loam, Haire clay loam and Goldridge fine sandy loam
Oak Aging: 15 months in French/Hungarian oak barrels, 46% new
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.64
TA: 0.54g/100mL
Our 2022 Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a vegan wine.
Winemakers: Greg Morthole
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Case:
12x 2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
It all started in 1973, when Davis Bynum first released his small lot of single vineyard Pinot Noir from the famed Rochioli vineyard in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. At that time, Pinot Noir was a relative stranger to the region, but the fickle grapes thrived in the unique terroir and became the first single vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ever created. Davis was instrumental in bringing prestige to Russian River Valley and putting it on the map for generations to come.
In 2007, when it was time for Bynum to sell the winery, he hand-picked his successor with the same care and attention as he used when choosing his grapes. He selected Tom Klein and the Klein family, fourth-generation California farmers who shared the same values and principles he built his own reputation on.
Born from a passion for hard work and testing limits, a love of place—Russian River Valley—and enthusiasm for all things wine, Davis Bynum wines are a living legacy to their namesake—a true pioneer and champion of the Russian River Valley.
Drawing on more than 50 years of experience capturing the essence of the Russian River Valley, we craft award-winning Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from River West Vineyard that tell the story of the land we love.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir - $80 = 26.66%
Surprise, I’m a Rat again. And reviewing my favorite varietal that I’ve never made.
I I’m not very familiar with the RRV - it’s very far from here - but I may need to pay more attention after trying this. It’s very nice, as you might expect from people that have been doing this a while.
I didn’t get the cherry noted in the tasting notes, not at first anyway - it started lighter with more of a strawberry taste and aroma. That stuck around for a little while before those darker earthier cherry characters started coming out. Through it all there’s a decent yet balanced acidity (which also bodes well for aging.) Those earthy notes arrived just in time to nicely wash down the wood fired sausage and anchovy pizza I made for dinner.
This is a wine I’d be happy to add to my cellar, and I just might have to pull the trigger on this one.
@eljefetwisted your review sounds great, I was a little worried about how often the winery write up mentions oak. I shouldn’t be anticipating an oak bomb?
2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
The Winery
The Vineyard
The Harvest
Winemaking
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $540/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Feb 26 - Monday, Mar 2
2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $219.99 $18.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir - $80 = 26.66%
@Mark_L Another way to think about it is there’s a 43% premium buying 4 bottles, which is what many of us would prefer. But not at that penalty.
@DanOR I usually consider that to be the “less-than-a-full-case penalty”.
@DanOR @Mark_L
Another way to look at it is if you buy the case you’re basically getting 4 for free.
@digerifoo2
I like the way you think.
Surprise, I’m a Rat again. And reviewing my favorite varietal that I’ve never made.
I I’m not very familiar with the RRV - it’s very far from here - but I may need to pay more attention after trying this. It’s very nice, as you might expect from people that have been doing this a while.
I didn’t get the cherry noted in the tasting notes, not at first anyway - it started lighter with more of a strawberry taste and aroma. That stuck around for a little while before those darker earthier cherry characters started coming out. Through it all there’s a decent yet balanced acidity (which also bodes well for aging.) Those earthy notes arrived just in time to nicely wash down the wood fired sausage and anchovy pizza I made for dinner.
This is a wine I’d be happy to add to my cellar, and I just might have to pull the trigger on this one.
@eljefetwisted your review sounds great, I was a little worried about how often the winery write up mentions oak. I shouldn’t be anticipating an oak bomb?
@CruelMelody not an oak bomb. The oak made its presence known after opening but not omnipresent
@CruelMelody @eljefetwisted good writeup, great followup. That’s what makes this community special!
Anyone Interested in sharibg a case? -SO.NH/Boston Area