Cobb Pinot Noir Monticue Vineyard Sonoma Coast 2018

Ground shipping included on 3+ bottles!

Cobb is back, with another single vineyard pinot noir from the western edge of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Monticue is a vineyard that Ross Cobb helped to plant years ago when the site had a different owner and a different name. Things came full circle a few years back when he got an opportunity to make his own wine from the vines he helped plant! Double 95 points catches the eye, certainly, but this is an elegant, long-lived pinot beauty that you simply can’t find anywhere for less!

Cobb is blipping on our radar like rogue migs in a Top Gun movie lately. Great wines that have experienced a fraction of the recognition they deserve – if only because of their limited production size and mostly direct-to-consumer model. We’re thrilled to have worked out an inside track on access to some of the best and rarest bottlings of this fantastic producer – at a price that just can’t be beat!

Monticue is a western Sonoma Coast vineyard, just off the famed Occidental Ridge. The vineyard only has two acres of vines planted – with a mix of the who’s who of the world’s best pinot clones. Calera, Pommard, 667, and 115 are all here, in an isolated north-facing site comprised of Goldridge soils and surrounded by Coastal Pacific Redwoods. The forest and elevation of over 700 feet protect it from too much fog and moisture, and the exposure lets in some early morning warmth to ensure the grapes are beautifully ripe.

In the fantastic 2018 vintage, the wine became a beautiful and high-toned expression of classic, elegant, coastal pinot noir. The aromas are fresh and beguiling – with pine needles, blood orange, mint, and rose petals accenting the ripe red berry fruits, followed by a flavor profile that is as varied as it is harmonious – roasted beets, sea spray, Earl Grey tea, black trumpet mushrooms, raspberries, and tart cherries. The wine deftly balances the complexity of spice achieved by the 90% whole cluster fermentation, without straying into the realm of savage wildness. It’s a fantastic wine to sip and ponder for hours on end – whether now or ten years from now. Tremendously cool stuff at a price that makes this a steal!

PAIRING IDEAS: I’m pairing this with a Japanese-inspired King Salmon “Mon Cuit”. Barely cooked steaks on skewers, over a live coals, brushed with a bit of soy, sake, and mirin marinade. A squeeze of yuzu juice to finish, with some white rice and grilled vegetables.