14.10

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir Vintage production: 280 cases Maybach's Irmgard Vineyard is at the far reaches of the Sonoma Coast, where the best sites tend to produce wines with distinctive notes driven by... the unyielding conditions of their locale. From this vineyard you can see the Pacific Ocean, which puts the vineyard near the fringe of where it is possible for nature to allow the cultivation of wine grapes. It was planted by the team in 2007, and both Chris Maybach and winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown feels the 2021 is their finest vintage to date.

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir Vintage Production: 193 cases Forêt comes from a magnificent secluded vineyard near Occidental. The hillside vineyard has a northeastern exposure, a very steep slope, and is... in the middle of a spectacular redwood forest. Just 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean on the western coastal range, is perhaps the most visually stunning vineyard which Soliste uses – the depth of aromatics and spice in Forêt are a pure reflection of this truly unique vineyard’s site, slope, climate, and clone. Don Plumley & Claude Koeberle: "Deep hues of dark plums, cassis, boysenberries with brilliant amethyst gemstone, showing specs of skin pulp and minerals, which denotes whole cluster press extraction. Forêt’s alluring nose is a complex bouquet of blackcurrants, graphite mineral, black pepper, plums, Bing cherries, interlaced redwood pine needles. As the wines open up, profound aromas of dark fruit compote, licorice, spiked with Alpine forest smells, burnt orange peel, elevate the wine to an Amaro like infusion. Decanting is a must for this wine to appreciate all of its subtilities. The front palate is exceptionally voluptuous and textural, with pure concentration of blackberries, dark cherries, boysenberries, and candied violets, all lifted by dried herbal and evergreen forest. The mid-palate possesses an immensely concentrated core of dark fruit compote, framed by the rich structuring tannins created by our commitment to the whole cluster press. As the wine opens up, the luscious, exotic dark fruit elixir is layered with pulpy tannins adding earthy tones, gaminess, exotic spices, mint, and black pepper, all in perfect harmony. The finish is impressive in its length, focus and complexity. The whole clusters are definitely present, chewy, grippy, pulling the richness of the fruit into an aristocratic elegance. Bright acidity of red tart cherries, cranberry, and violet, infused with wet stone minerals lift the mid-palate fruit density, elongating the wine into a perpetual finish."