Home
: 2018 Grey Stack "Four Brothers Vineyard" Bennett Valley Pinot Noir

2018 Grey Stack "Four Brothers Vineyard" Bennett Valley Pinot Noir (Previously $50)

SKU #1692080 92 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark From a rocky, volcanic site in the cool-climate valley, this balanced wine is juicy in cola and dark cherry, with an earthy foundation of rock and mineral. Good acidity provides freshness and energy, a bit of tension around the otherwise supple tannin and soft length. (VB) Inner quote mark (12/2020)

K&L Notes

The Four Brothers Vineyard Pinot Noir is a true family-grown and -made, boutique-production wine. This small 11-acre estate in the cool Bennett Valley is owned by Jim Sullivan and managed by Jim and his three brothers. The winemaker for Grey Stack Cellars is Jim's son, Patrick Sullivan. Patrick is a highly acclaimed and experienced winemaker having worked at Peter Michael, Paul Hobbs, Lewis Cellars, and Rudd. Patrick now consults for several small wineries in Sonoma and makes his family's estate wines. The vineyard was planted in 2000. Vines are a true interplanted field blend of Pommard, 777, and Calera (a suitcase selection from Vosne-Romanée). The fruit is pick and fermented together using 50% whole-clusters, a long 6-day cold soak, native fermentation, 15 months ageing in 25% new French oak. The wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered.

Share |

2018 Grey Stack "Four Brothers Vineyard" Bennett Valley Pinot Noir

Price: Hidden

WE: 92

Real Time Inventory by location:

The item you have chosen is not in stock in our retail stores or within our main warehouse.

Product turnaround time varies by location of inventory and your chosen method of shipping/pickup. For a detailed explanation click here.

Related Items

Product Reviews:

By: Carlo Delgado | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/30/2023 | Send Email

Explosive aromas of wild strawberries, raspberries, cherries, hibiscus, dried sage, dried rose petals, and hint of earth. On the palate, burst of juicy, fresh red berries, nutmeg, red apple skins, cola, savory dried herbs, with soft, gentle tannins on the finish. This is a delicious, charming bottle Pinot Noir that has an abundance of character, showcases purity of fruit, and expresses the cool climate where the grapes were grown.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/28/2023 | Send Email

The price we have on this stunning Pinot Noir is just amazing! Grey Stack is a tiny family estate in Bennet Valley. This small block of vines was planted in 2000 on a steep volcanic hillside to Calera's Vosne-Romanée clone, plus Pommard and 777. The vineyard is owned by Jim Sullivan and managed by Jim and his three brothers (hence the vineyard name). The winemaker for Grey Stack Cellars is Jim's son, Patrick Sullivan. After making wine at acclaimed properties like Peter Michael, Paul Hobbs, Lewis and Rudd, Patrick now focuses on his family's own boutique wines and consults for some other small wineries in Sonoma. The fruit for this wine is hand-picked at optimal ripeness and fermented as a true field blend of clones. The wine perfectly captures the depth and complexity you always hope for from Pinot Noir. There's spicy deep red fruits, crushed raspberry, bramble fruit, blood orange, spiced citrus peel, but then a wealth of savory components also - dark rose petal, dried sage, forest floor, freshly turned earth, truffle, porcini mushroom. Deep concentrated flavors, but elegance and lift on the palate also. Power and depth, but a refreshingly modest 13.5% ABV. This reminds me of the powerful Côte de Nuits Burgundy vintage, the dark tinge to the largely red fruits with compelling earthy, umami undertones. Really good stuff, highly food friendly and will go in the cellar at least 8-10 years. Our winery-direct price is eye-popping (in a good way)!

Top Value! Drink from 2023 to 2033

By: Ryan Moses | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/28/2023 | Send Email

For me, the more classical profile of Pinot Noir shines in Grey Stack's "Four Brothers" Pinot Noir. The aromas have a great note of clean red fruit along with a touch of herb and sauvage. On the palate there is a refreshing acidity that comes along with crisp red cherry, strawberry, and a slight hint of spice on the finish. Great elegance, balance, and typicité, it is a remarkably complex bottle of Pinot Noir. At our going rate, it'll be hard to match this kind of detail and nuance.

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Sonoma County

- Second in fame only to Napa, this "other" valley offers just about every climate and topography imaginable. From its cool and fog-enshrouded coastal regions on the far west, to the sprawling Alexander Valley on the boarder of Napa and the many little dips and peaks in between, Sonoma has been a vital wine-grape-growing region since the mid 1800s. Important sub-AVAs include Chalk Hill (known for chardonnay and sauvignon blanc), Dry Creek Valley (where zin is king) Knights Valley (largely cabernet land), Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast (both celebrated pinot and chardonnay zones).

Alcohol Content (%):

13.5