Moore Ranch

Appellation: Russian River Valley

Planted: 1998

Clones: 115, Pommard, 667, 777

Rootstock: 101-14 and 3309

Elevation: 95 feet

Location: Southern part of Russian River, east of Sebastopol

Aspect: On a small ridge overlooking the Laguna, a tributary that feeds the Russian River

Soil: A thin topsoil of Silty Clay Loam on top of a rocky gravelly subsoil (Older Alluvial Fan)

Sebastopol is my favorite area for Pinot, so I feel lucky to get fruit from vineyards on both sides of Sebastopol. Moore Ranch produces a wine that has red and dark fruits with spice, but it also has a minerality to it. Does the minerality come from the rocky subsoil? I believe so, indirectly at least. Harold McGee and Daniel Patterson disagree. The proximity to the Petaluma Gap and its cooling afternoon winds is a help as well. Jim and Cindy Moore, who own and farm it , are constantly refining the care of the vineyard to bring out the best in the fruit.