red
Twomey Pinot Noir
Twomey
Vintage & Drinking Window
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Drinking Window
2016-2027; currently at peak maturity in 2026, displaying tertiary forest floor development alongside its remaining primary fruit.
Perfect time to enjoy!
Vintage Notes
The 2013 California vintage is a complete story of exceptional weather that ultimately initiated a brutal multi-year drought. A mild, dry spring provoked an early bud break, setting the stage for an accelerated growing season. The summer was balmy and surprisingly consistent, largely avoiding the severe heat spikes that typically roast Russian River Valley fruit. This allowed for steady, even ripening without panic. However, the lack of groundwater stressed the vines, resulting in smaller berries with thicker skins. This altered the skin-to-juice ratio, giving the 2013 Pinot Noirs immense structural intensity and sturdy tannins. The danger of 2013 was over-extraction; producers who didn't adjust their cellar protocols ended up with blocky, unyielding wines. Twomey navigated this well, relying on cooler sites like Last Stop Ranch to temper the warmth. In the hierarchy of Twomey's vintages, 2013 sits firmly in the upper-middle pack: it boasts more energy, tension, and linearity than the broader, softer 2015, but it lacks the ethereal, high-toned purity of the decidedly cooler 2011. As a collectible, this is not a wine for long-term speculative cellaring, but rather a high-end daily drinker. Now at a decade plus of age in 2026, the 2013 is fully mature, sitting squarely in its peak drinking window and beginning the slow glide into tertiary decline.
AI Confidence: 92%
$55.00 - $75.00 USD
90/100Very good
Sophie's Take
Listen to Sophie talk about Twomey Pinot Noir
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Grape Varieties
100% Pinot Noir
Style: Evaluated through the BLIC framework, the 2013 Twomey Russian River Valley Pinot Noir demonstrates competent but not flawless integration. Balance is its primary virtue: the 13.8 percent alcohol is admirably restrained for a warm Californian vintage, sitting comfortably alongside taut, vivid acidity and a framework of fine-grained tannin. Intensity is firmly medium; it does not attempt to overwhelm the palate with loudness, instead favoring aromatic lift and a relatively lean mid-palate. Complexity is moderate, successfully layering crystallised red fruit with secondary savory herbs, though it lacks the kaleidoscopic depth of the region's absolute best. Length is medium-plus, persisting with red cherry tones but ultimately betrayed by the slight, green-tinged rustic finish noted by European critics. In terms of typicity, it is unmistakably Russian River Valley in its aromatic profile of cola and sarsaparilla, yet it deviates structurally, presenting a more linear, tightly wound frame rather than the plush, velvet-draped weight expected of the appellation. This wine is not for those seeking the dense, extract-heavy fruit bombs of modern Russian River Valley lore; buyers looking for unapologetic unctuousness would trade off that weight by choosing this bottling. Those wanting sheer hedonistic power might be better served by Kosta Browne's appellation blend at a slightly higher price point, while buyers seeking profound, site-transparent minerality might find this competent but safe compared to a similarly priced Hirsch San Andreas Fault. By purchasing this wine, you trade away the raw, visceral thrill of single-vineyard distinctiveness for the polished, blender's-art safety of a well-resourced corporate estate.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasting Notes
Crystallised red cherry and vivid strawberry aromas
Medium-plus finish length, ending with an abrupt vegetal note
Mid-palate intensity is moderate, favoring lift over density
Fine-grained, cashmere-like tannins that grip gently
Underlying earthiness resembling damp forest floor
Hints of blood orange zest adding high-toned cut
Professional Ratings
Wine Spectator: 90/100
Robert Parker: 90/100
James Suckling: 91/100
Vinous: 89/100
Decanter: 89/100
Serving Recommendations
Temperature: 14-16 C (57-60 F)
Decanting: 30 minutes in a wide-bottomed decanter; at 30 minutes, the initial French oak spice integrates, allowing the delicate red floral aromatics to emerge.
Food Pairing:
Plank-grilled king salmon with thyme
Herb-crusted pork tenderloin
Wild mushroom and sage risotto
Roast duck breast with cherry gastrique
Seared yellowfin tuna with sesame crust (bridges the umami and fruit)
Five-spice Peking duck (the anise echoes the wine's cola and spice notes)
AVOID: Spicy Indian curries (capsaicin strips the delicate Pinot fruit and renders the oak aggressively bitter)
Winemaking & Vineyard
Production Notes:
The critical reception of the 2013 Twomey Russian River Valley Pinot Noir shows an informative divergence. Domestic reviewers generally praised the wine, with one memorable positive assessment calling it bright with a lot of cherry fruit and some strawberry, displaying lovely floral undertones that remain balanced from attack to finish. However, British critic Jancis Robinson offered a more reserved perspective, awarding it 17/20 but pointedly noting, rich and spicy with some crystallised fruit; pretty intense on the finish, but with grainy tannins and some vegy notes on the finish. This split highlights the core tension in the wine: it aims for elegance but carries slightly rustic structural edges. Twomey's founding story is itself a narrative of pivot and adaptation. The Duncan family, legendary for the hedonistic, American-oaked Cabernet Sauvignons of Silver Oak, purchased the Soda Canyon Ranch in 1999. They discovered French Merlot clones and eventually launched Twomey, explicitly to explore beyond Cabernet. Soon after, they acquired the West Pin Vineyard in the Russian River Valley to conquer Pinot Noir. The dramatic question was immediate: could a cellar culture built on massive, unctuous extraction pivot to the delicate precision required of Pinot Noir? Early vintages occasionally struggled to shed the house instinct for ripeness, sometimes resulting in heavy-handed wines. To counter this, they brought in Pinot Noir specialists, utilizing 100 percent French oak, and targeting earlier pick dates to preserve acidity. By 2013, the viticulture and winemaking were dialed in. The grapes were destemmed, cold-soaked, and aged for 14 months in roughly half-new French oak barrels. While Twomey lacks the deep generational dirt-under-the-fingernails legacy of a Rochioli, they have brought formidable capital and rigorous technical execution to their Pinot Noir program. The production volume of this appellation blend hovers around a widely available 3500 cases, meaning it is more a reliable luxury staple than an elusive unicorn bottle. The wine performs capably, representing a significant technical achievement for a house that had to learn restraint. Honest verdict: A competent, distinguished 15.5/20 wine that delivers textbook Russian River Valley character with admirable restraint, though it stops short of true site-specific profundity.
Vineyard Details:
Sourced from three distinct sites: the estate-owned 9-acre West Pin Vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley, complemented by cooler-climate fruit from Last Stop Ranch and Bailey Vineyard. The soils are predominantly the region's famous Goldridge sandy loam, providing excellent drainage and restricting vine vigor to concentrate the fruit. The combination of warmer central valley floor sites with cooler, fog-drenched blocks creates a balanced canvas for the 2013 vintage. Vine ages average around 15 years for the estate blocks, planted on low-vigor rootstocks. The winemaking employs cold soaking, destemming, and indigenous and cultured yeast fermentation, followed by 14 months of aging in 100 percent French oak barrels, of which approximately 45 percent are new. The toast levels are carefully managed to frame rather than dominate the delicate Pinot Noir profile.
Awards & Accolades
• Wine & Spirits 93 Points (Historical Peer Rating)
• CellarTracker Community Average 89/100
• Jancis Robinson 17/20
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