Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/723381
september 2016 / the tasting panel / 7 "Pacific Heights represents the marine influ- ence, morning fog, a longer growing season and all the key assets that make the Pacific Coast's terroir unique. We look forward to taking the Pacific Coast to new heights." The Sonoma Coast is the coolest AVA within Sonoma County, influenced by the brisk ocean breeze, fog and altitude, and experiences a longer growing season as a result—perfect for complex but food-friendly Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley AVA can get a bit warmer and tends to produce richer, fruit-forward Chardonnay that still retains acidity due to wider diurnal swings and cooler 40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures at night. Working with fruit of this caliber is a longtime dream of Pacific Heights' Winemaker Christine Marchi. Christine Marchi attended the University of California at Davis to earn a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, but it was a beginner's winemaking course at Davis that would really deter- mine her future career in wine. Marchi has assisted in harvests at Cumulus in Australia, Villa Maria in New Zealand and Kendall-Jackson and Ledson in Sonoma before ending up at Trinchero's St. Helena winery for four years. She is now in charge of not only Pacific Heights but another coastal- influenced Trinchero wine brand, Cloudfall, sourced from Monterey County. How does Marchi apply this worldwide experience to her winemaking? "In general, my approach to creating Pacific Heights wines is to employ the least amount of manipulation possible to the fruit from vineyard to the bottle . . . To accomplish this, the Chardonnay is 100% native- and barrel- fermented, and there is no lees aging so that the bright acidity is maintained in the finished product. For the Pinot Noir, only the free-run wine is used as the finished blend. This method maximizes the fruit aromas and flavors and uses only the softest, most integrated tannins." This September, Pacific Heights is nationally distributed into general markets and will be available in on- and off-premise accounts. The Russian River Chardonnay will be priced at $20 suggested retail and the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir at $25. This translates into ideal price positioning for any wine program, enabling a wine director to offer a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir by the glass from a notable California wine region in the $13 to $15 range. Nyberg reiterates, "Pacific Heights is quite simply the best representation of varietals sourced from some of the greatest growing regions along the Pacific Coast. These wines represent all that the Pacific Coast has to offer, lifting each varietal to the height of its potential as a result. The Chardonnay from Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir are among two of the best regions for sourcing these varietals in particular. We look forward to offering additional varietals that shine similarly from throughout the California coast, Oregon and Washington State winegrowing regions." So forget about the fancy-pants neighborhood in San Francisco. Instead think about the Pacific Ocean crashing against the jutting cliffs of the California coast, dispersing the sea spray to mingle with the fog that quietly rolls into vineyards of Pacific Heights. Pacific Heights 2015 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley ($20) Meyer lemon, honey- dew melon and roasted coconut; full and viscous mouthfeel; clean and crisp. —Christine Marchi Pacific Heights 2015 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($25) Ripe blue and raspberry with black tea, lightly toasted oak and leather; long and smooth finish with deli- cate tannins. —Christine Marchi Tasting Notes