An early spring with unseasonable heat marked the beginning of the 2022 growing season. However, by the middle of the vintage, a long and mild summer had set in with the predictable pattern of fog rolling in most evenings and burning off by midmorning in most cases with few “pea soup” days to stall ripening after verasion took place. This set the fruit on a path for long even ripening with full phenolic development. However, right at harvest mother nature threw a couple of curveballs, first in the form of more heatwaves followed closely by early rainstorms, increasing the threat of mildew and botrytis exponentially. However, careful canopy management and sugar monitoring meant the fruit came in clean and mostly unaffected by the late rains or excessive heat.
“The 2022 Russian River Valley Chardonnay springs with spritely scents of fresh grapefruit, yuzu, and white peaches plus suggestions of sea spray, wet pebbles, and lime blossom. The full-bodied palate has plenty of freshness to back up the citrus and stone fruit flavors, finishing on a compelling minerally note.”- 94pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
An early spring with unseasonable heat marked the beginning of the 2022 growing season. However, by the middle of the vintage, a long and mild summer had set in with the predictable pattern of fog rolling in most evenings and burning off by midmorning in most cases with few “pea soup” days to stall ripening after verasion took place. This set the fruit on a path for long even ripening with full phenolic development. However, right at harvest mother nature threw a couple of curveballs, first in the form of more heatwaves followed closely by early rainstorms, increasing the threat of mildew and botrytis exponentially. However, careful canopy management and sugar monitoring meant the fruit came in clean and mostly unaffected by the late rains or excessive heat.
“The 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay offers up notes of apple butter, ripe juicy peaches, and Bosc pears followed by hints of creme caramel and marzipan. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a satiny texture and well-knit freshness to support the layers of spicy apple and pear flavors, finishing long and creamy.”- 92pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
The Heintz family has owned the ranch for over 100 years. Ideal Goldridge soil, healthy, ma-ture vines, warm days balanced with cool nights and a grower who has been working the land since 1982 all contribute to Robert Parker’s assessment of the vineyard as “…one of the great grand cru Chardonnay sites in California.”
“The 2022 Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay is a little closed to start, slowly unfurling to reveal notes of lemongrass, lime leaves, and Granny Smith apples followed by nuances of wet pebbles, brine, and yuzu with a touch of white pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is soft-spoken and savory, with beautifully knit acidity and a silkiness to the texture, finishing long and minerally.”- 95pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
An early spring with unseasonable heat marked the beginning of the 2022 growing season. However, by the middle of the vintage, a long and mild summer had set in with the predictable pattern of fog rolling in most evenings and burning off by midmorning in most cases with few “pea soup” days to stall ripening after verasion took place. This set the fruit on a path for long even ripening with full phenolic development. However, right at harvest mother nature threw a couple of curveballs, first in the form of more heatwaves followed closely by early rainstorms, increasing the threat of mildew and botrytis exponentially. However, careful canopy management and sugar monitoring meant the fruit came in clean and mostly unaffected by the late rains or excessive heat.
“The 2022 Russian River Pinot Noir features a medium ruby-purple color and forthcoming scents of blackberries, black raspberries, and mulberries, leading to wafts of underbrush, cracked black pepper, and dried Provence herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and juicy with a refreshing lift from the herbal accents and well-knit acidity, finishing on a lingering peppery note.”- 91pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
An early spring with unseasonable heat marked the beginning of the 2022 growing season. However, by the middle of the vintage, a long and mild summer had set in with the predictable pattern of fog rolling in most evenings and burning off by midmorning in most cases with few “pea soup” days to stall ripening after verasion took place. This set the fruit on a path for long even ripening with full phenolic development. However, right at harvest mother nature threw a couple of curveballs, first in the form of more heatwaves followed closely by early rainstorms, increasing the threat of mildew and botrytis exponentially. However, careful canopy management and sugar monitoring meant the fruit came in clean and mostly unaffected by the late rains or excessive heat.
“The 2022 Russian River Pinot Noir features a medium ruby-purple color and forthcoming scents of blackberries, black raspberries, and mulberries, leading to wafts of underbrush, cracked black pepper, and dried Provence herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and juicy with a refreshing lift from the herbal accents and well-knit acidity, finishing on a lingering peppery note.”- 91pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
When it was planted in 1996, Kanzler was one of the first vineyards in the rolling hills southwest of the small picturesque town of Sebastopol in western Sonoma County. Only eight miles from the Pacific Ocean, the area was long thought to be too cool and foggy for grape growing but has consistently produced some of the best Pinot noirs.
“The 2022 Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir sports a medium to deep ruby-purple color and flashy scents of fresh raspberries, Bing cherries, and strawberry and rhubarb pie, leading to hints of underbrush, wet slate, and dried thyme. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with energetic red berry flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and a refreshing ling, finishing on a lingering earthy note.”-96pts, Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, TWI
Silver Eagle is located on Stoetz Lane, just behind Charles Heintz and our estate, Hillcrest. Ulises Valdez planted the site in 2006 primarily to Pinot noir but included a small amount of Chardonnay and Syrah.
“The 2020 UV – Silver Eagle Vineyard Chardonnay sings of honey-drizzled pears, juicy peaches, and fresh musk melon with suggestions of powdered ginger, almond croissant, and lemon pastilles. Full-bodied, the palate is laden with crunchy melon and apricot flavors with loads of spicy sparks and a decadently oily texture, finishing with great length. Silver Eagle vineyard was planted in 2006 by Ulises Valdez, a highly skilled local vineyard manager who passed away a few years ago. Located in Russian River Valley, just behind Charles Heintz Ranch, the Chardonnay here is Montrachet clone.”
– 96pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
Planted in 2008 by then vineyard manager Ulises Valdez, El Diablo vineyard sits on a ridge above Eastside Road in Russian River Valley. Early in their relationship, he told the Senses team that “when you work hard, the fruit always tastes better.” That holds very true for El Diablo.
“The 2021 Senses El Diablo Vineyard Chardonnay slowly unfurls to deliver powerful notes of peach cobbler, preserved mandarin peel, and lime cordial, giving way to underlying suggestions of honeycomb, praline, and sea spray. The medium to full-bodied palate has a decadent oiliness to the texture, juxtaposed by a lively backbone and layers of bright stone fruit and citrus flavors, finishing on a lingering ginger ale note.” – 95pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
The 2021 vintage showcased the advantages of growing grapes on the coast in a drought year. Where some parts of the state were abnormally warm, the coast remained moderate and stable, allowing for winemaking-through-farming. We were able to carefully manage tonnage and let the fruit hang precisely as long as we wished, developing full phenolic ripeness while still preserving the acidic quality that is so characteristic of the coast. Of course, drought means less water, but the lack of severe heat days on the coast meant the vines, though water-stressed, were not overly so. Overall, look forward to a banner year for Pinot and Chardonnay, with wines that will be bright, concentrated, and age-worthy.
“The Senses 2021 Tenth Stop Chardonnay opens with tantalizing scents of fresh ginger, orange blossoms, and marzipan, over a core of juicy pears, Golden delicious apples, and allspice. The medium-bodied palate delivers a silky texture and beautiful tension, skillfully framing the spicy apple and pear layers, finishing long and elegantly perfumed.” – 94pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
Cameron and Bridgit Thieriot, Max’s parents, purchased the property in 1988. In 1989 the first part of the vineyard was planted by the late Warren Dutton of Dutton Ranch. Grapes from these blocks have been sold to Landmark, Williams Selyem, Neyers, Littorai and Rivers-Marie. Year after year this vineyard consistently produces high scoring single vineyard wines and is known to be one of the premiere vineyards in the Sonoma Coast.
“The Senses 2021 B.A. Thieriot Vineyard Chardonnay prances out with showy notes of ripe apricots, spiced pears, and apple butter, giving way to fragrant scents of orange blossoms, toasted almonds, and powdered ginger. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a decadently creamy texture, with a lively backbone to support the layers of concentrated stone fruit and baking spices, finishing with impressive length. Delicious!” – 97pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
Charles and Diana Karren are incredibly passionate about growing grapes. Known as “The Land of Promise”, Terra de Promissio has an ideal terroir for pinot noir. The soil, southwest sun exposure, hill elevation, vine density and the wind and fog of the Petaluma Gap allow the grapes to have a slow maturation & extended hang time, which allows optimum ripeness ideal conditions for the pinot noir grape. This site is shared with Williams Selyem, Kistler, Kosta Browne, Hanzell, and others.
“The 2019 Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio comes from the Petaluma Gap region (although it’s released as a Sonoma Coast) and as with all of the Pinot Noirs, it was destemmed and brought up in French oak. Lots of smoky red and black fruits, roasted herbs, conifer forest, and exotic spice notes define the nose on this beauty, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a rich, structured mouthfeel and just beautiful overall balance. It’s certainly one of the more structured, firm wines in the lineup, but it’s loaded with potential. Give bottles 2-3 years if you can (it’s far from inaccessible today) and it’s going to evolve for over a decade.”
– 95pts, Jeb Dunnuck
From the famed vineyard formerly known as Keefer Ranch, we bring you the ‘MCM88’ Pinot noir; an exuberant Russian River single vineyard Pinot noir from the block originally farmed by Kosta Browne. Our boldest Pinot noir yet comes from a very special block in a very special vineyard now known as Perry Ranch. This addition to the Senses family stands apart from its’ siblings with greater concentration and richness. We are very excited about this wine and have named it accordingly: MCM stands for Max, Christopher and Myles and doubles for the roman numerals of 1900, which when added to ‘88 marks our birth year of 1988.
“The Senses 2021 MCM88 Pinot Noir is medium to deep ruby-purple in color. After a swirl or two, the nose explodes with alluring notes of cherry pie, blackberry preserves, wild blueberries, and chocolate mint, followed by an undercurrent of wet slate and star anise. Full-bodied, the decadently opulent palate delivers a velvety texture and fabulous tension to support the generous black and blue fruit layers, finishing long with a minty kick.”- 95pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
Max and Lexi Thieriot searched all across Sonoma County for their ideal “forever property”. Fate would bring them back to west county and only minutes from where Max grew up, when this ranch came on the market. Purchasing the property in 2013, from a family who had owned it for over 100 years, they had found their perfect home. The ranch features ninety acres of rolling hills, ocean views, oaks and redwoods, and an ideal coastal vineyard site sharing a fence line with Steve Kistler’s Occidental Winery. In 2016, Max and Lexi, with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown began planting their home ranch and the second generation of Thieriot Vineyards was officially born: Bodega Thieriot.
“The Senses 2021 Bodega Thieriot Vineyard Pinot Noir has a medium to deep ru-by-purple color. It spills effortlessly from the glass with gregarious scents of pome-granate, kirsch, and mulberries, giving way to a beguiling perfume of lilacs, bergamot, jasmine tea, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with floral and mineral layers accenting the powerful core of red berry preserves, supported by very fine-grained tannins, finishing long and lifted.” – 96pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
The Hillcrest Vineyard: where Senses started from day one. We decided that moving forward this wine deserved a special designation. After much thought (and wine) it was clear. “Day One” was the perfect fit. Hillcrest is where the three of us rolled up our sleeves, hand farmed and harvested the entire vineyard and created our very first vintage of Senses Pinot Noir.
“The Senses 2021 Day One Pinot Noir has a medium ruby-purple color. It waltzes out with flamboyant notes of raspberry pie, Bing cherries, and red roses, followed by wafts of lavender, cardamom, and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate bursts with vibrant red berry, floral, and savory layers, framed by exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing with epic length and energy. So elegant and perfumed, this one could fool you into thinking it is a great Chambolle-Musigny.” – 97+pts, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
The Oakville region is known for producing some of the most sought after wines from the Napa Valley and is considered the ‘heart and soul of Napa Valley,’ where the up-valley warmth is balanced by the coolness from the southern appellations. This unique terroir produces Cabernet deep in color, with velvety tannic structure and balanced acids. Known for its rich and complex soils, Oakville Cabernet exudes dark fruits and blackcurrant. Thomas produces this limited Senses Cabernet in the quintessential Oakville style, aging the wine for 20 months in 100% new French oak which adds smoothness and nuances of dried fruits and spices.
“Sporting a deep garnet-purple color, it sings of warm cassis, baked black cherries and mulberries with a beautiful undercurrent of fragrant earth, menthol, crushed rocks, candied violets and cedar chest. The full-bodied palate has wonderful intensity, features tons of bright, crunchy, black fruit layers and lots of perfumed nuances, supported by a solid backbone of ripe grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with fantastic length and energy. Very impressive!”
– 97+, Lisa Perrotti-Brown RPWA