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Perfect time to enjoy!
The 2024 growing season in the Sonoma Coast was a narrative of extreme contrasts, rewarding the vigilant and punishing the greedy. The year began with a perilously wet spring that disrupted flowering and reduced overall yields, followed immediately by an aggressive early summer heat spike that threatened massive sunburn damage on the exposed slopes. The turning point was a panicked decision to harvest early. While some producers waited, hoping for phenolic ripeness and sugar accumulation, the estate executed their first pick of the year with ruthless efficiency. This early harvest locked in the high acidity and completely dodged the later drought stress that turned many neighboring 2024 Pinot Noirs into flabby, baked disappointments. Compared to the historically plush 2021 or the flawlessly even 2023, the 2024 ranks solidly in the middle of the pack for red wine production, but it stands as a brilliant triumph for rose. The stressful conditions naturally suppressed berry size, amplifying the skin-to-juice ratio and delivering a heightened textural grip that better vintages often lack. It is absolutely ready to drink now and will peak over the next 12 to 18 months. This is not a vintage to collect, but rather one to consume while the hard-won, vivid tension of that early harvest remains fully intact.
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Style: At its core, this wine demands evaluation through the BLIC framework. Balance is achieved not through weight, but through tension: a high-wire act of 12.0 percent ABV, piercing high acidity, and a completely dry, lean body that work together seamlessly rather than fighting for dominance. Length is decidedly medium-plus; the primary wild strawberry notes fade quickly, but a positive, pithy grapefruit zest and crushed stone minerality persist commendably. Intensity is laser-focused rather than voluminous, driving a taut, linear energy straight down the mid-palate without relying on aromatic loudness. Complexity is moderate but highly integrated; while it does not possess profound, multi-layered depth, its distinct descriptors build coherently. In terms of typicity, this represents a striking deviation from the plush, fruit-forward expressions historically associated with California rose, leaning instead toward a hyper-modern, almost austere coastal interpretation. This deviation is arguably its greatest strength, offering a crystalline focus that captures the cool-climate winds of the San Pablo Bay. When placed against direct competitors like Flowers Sonoma Coast Rose, Liquid Farm Rose of Mourvedre, and Cobb Pinot Noir Rose, the Scribe estate offering sits firmly in the upper-middle tier. It delivers far more vertical tension than the rounder Flowers, yet lacks the profound textural depth Cobb achieves. As for the experience, this is the right wine for a sun-drenched afternoon with raw seafood, but the entirely wrong choice for a heavy winter dinner where its fragile frame would be annihilated. Who this wine is not for are drinkers seeking a plush, creamy, or fruit-sweet rose experience; they will find its razor-like acidity punishing. By purchasing this bottle, one trades the comforting richness of a classic saignee-method Pinot Noir for an uncompromisingly lean, direct-press style that prioritizes energy over comfort. If a buyer desires more mid-palate weight and a softer, fruit-driven landing at a similar price point, they would be far better served by seeking out the comparatively forgiving En Route Rose of Pinot Noir.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Wine Spectator: 89/100
Robert Parker: 90/100
James Suckling: 93/100
Vinous: 91/100
Decanter: 92/100
Temperature: Serve extremely chilled at 8 C (46 F) to highlight its precise acidic cut. Allowing the glass to warm slightly to 10 C (50 F) unlocks maximum aromatic lift without sacrificing structural tension.
Decanting: No formal decanting required. However, 30 minutes in an open bottle softens the initially rigid acid spine; avoid exposing for 120 minutes as the fragile primary tension will completely dissipate.
Food Pairing:
Production Notes:
Vineyard Details:
• #12 on Top 100 West Coast Rosés 2025
• 90 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
• 91 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
• 93 Points - James Suckling
• 89 Points - Wine Spectator
• 92 Points - Decanter
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