2007 Coho Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Coho is in Napa. It was founded in 2002 by Brooks Painter and Gary Lipp and named in honor of the Coho salmon, which the founders say “embodies an innate wisdom so essential to understanding ourselves and our environment. As stewards of the land winemakers must strive to sustain our habitat and the species that share it.” Before starting their own winery, Painter was a winemaker and manager at such Napa Valley producers as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Robert Mondavi, and Lipp was a sales and marketing executive at Chalone Wine Estates and Paul Hobbs, among other places. Coho makes limited quantities of Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend.

Russian River Valley AVA is named for the river that meanders from Mendocino County in the north until it finally runs into the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. The AVA is cool thanks to its proximity to the northern California coast and the river, and grape growers must learn to deal with regular fog. Nevertheless in recent decades the AVA has become one of the best in the state, meaning that its wines often earn excellent reviews and have considerable cachet. The AVA status was awarded in 1983 and today the appellation has 15,000 vineyard acres. Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape though Pinot Noir has also been very successful in recent decades. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir are known for being rich, lush and filled with concentrated fruit and berry flavors. Russian River Pinot Noirs are today considered some of the best domestic Pinot Noirs.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.