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"The 2018 Chardonnay Doc's Ranch: JoAnn's Block is a very distinctive wine. Dried flowers, mint, sage, chamomile, apricot, crushed rocks and almond are nicely layered. The 2018 is intensely mineral and savory, while the fruit is very much pushed into the background. Ross Cobb's 2018 Pinots are impressive. All of the wines are delineated and precise, but they are also a bit compact at this stage. That should not come as a surprise to readers who know the wines, as Cobb's Pinots typically need a few years in bottle to fully recover from bottling. All of the Pinots see 22 months in barrel (30% new), which is quite long by California standards. The 2018s don't quite reach the heights of the 2017s, but that was a truly magical vintage of the kind that does not come around too often. Readers who enjoy structured, vibrant Pinots will find so much to like in these new releases. The Pinots from Doc's Ranch, a property next to Cobb's own Coastlands, are especially of note." |