COBB Rice-Spivak Vineyard Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast 2017 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Cobb Wines Pinot Noir Rice Spivak Vineyard 2017 is a focused, elegant Sonoma Coast Pinot that balances bright red fruit with savoury site character. Translucent ruby with a slight garnet tint, it shows ripe cherry, cranberry and wild strawberry with rose petal and sous bois; mushroom and gentle earthiness add complexity. Medium bodied with fine polished tannins, Morello cherry and redcurrant lead into cedar, dried herbs and a faint cured meat note. Bright acidity and subtle oak spice keep the profile precise and energetic, finishing with cola and orange zest. Approachable now and will evolve with short term cellaring. Drink 2026 to 2032. Critics: Vinous 96 "Light on its feet, perfumed and gracious." Wine Advocate 95+ "Gorgeous, pure sweet fruits." Wine Enthusiast 95 "Grippy and spicy with a lengthy finish."

ABOUT THIS WINE
2017 Cobb Wines Pinot Noir Rice Spivak Vineyard is a focused and elegant single site expression from Sonoma Coast that balances bright varietal clarity with developed savoury nuance. The colour is a translucent ruby with a slight garnet tint, signalling the wine’s maturity and clarity. The nose opens with ripe red cherry, cranberry and raspberry framed by rose petal and a wild strawberry note; with time in the glass it develops an undercurrent of sous bois, light mushroom and a discreet earthiness that speaks to site specificity.

On the palate the wine is medium bodied with a finely tuned texture and gentle polished tannins. Red fruit remains central, with Morello cherry and redcurrant supported by a savoury core of dried herbs, cedar and a faint cured meat complexity. There is a precise backbone of acidity that lifts the flavours and keeps the profile energetic rather than heavy, while subtle oak influence contributes vanilla spice and a touch of mocha without obscuring fruit purity. Mid palate development shows a whisper of cola and orange zest that adds tension and brightens the finish.

The 2017 vintage in Sonoma was warm to hot with pockets of diurnal cooling that helped preserve acidity in coastal sites; at Rice Spivak those conditions produced concentrated fruit with ripe tannins while retaining aromatic precision. The result is a Pinot Noir that offers both immediate charm and the structure to evolve.

Approachable now with gentle decanting, the wine will reward short to medium term cellaring. Drink 2026 to 2032, peaking 2027 to 2029. Pair with roast duck, pan seared salmon, mushroom risotto or chargrilled pork with herb salsa to complement the wine’s red fruit and savoury complexity.

VINOUS 96 points
Drinking window: 2020 - 2032
Ross Cobb's 2017 Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak Vineyard is light on its feet, perfumed and gracious. Crushed red berries, wild flowers, cinnamon and citrus all perk up this ethereal, mid-weight Pinot. The 50% whole clusters add aromatic presence and savoriness without overpowering the wine. I very much like the sense of energy here. This is such an elegant Pinot.
Antonio Galloni. Tasting date: January 2020

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95+ points
Reviewed by: Erin Brooks
Drink Date: 2020 - 2028
Pale ruby-purple, the nose of the 2017 Pinot Noir Rice Spivak Vineyard offers delicate raspberry and strawberry fruits, deeper tones of cranberry and rhubarb, plus top notes of floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is gorgeous, fleshing out to pure, sweet fruits, finely grained and seamlessly fresh with a long, flavor-packed finish. Give it another 2-3 years in bottle.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 95 points
Pungent compostable earth and forest pine form a foundation of savory sensation across the palate of this lively vineyard-designate, brightly intertwined in pomegranate and rhubarb. Grippy and spicy in both baking and Asian spice, it impresses across a lengthy finish. — Virginie Boone

DECANTER 93 points
Tasted by: Matthew Luczy (at Los Angeles, 03 Aug 2020) Part of Cobb Wines: Playing the 'Pinot Noir long-game'
Drinking Window: 2020 - 2037
Aromas of red cherries, birch and dried cardamom lead to a racy texture, succulent at first then expanding greatly on the palate after some time in the glass. The finish shows notes of pomegranate purée, green peppercorns and potpourri. A pretty and lifted iteration of the Rice-Spivak site.

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ABOUT COBB WINES
Cobb Wines is a family owned producer in Napa Valley, California, noted for focused single vineyard expressions and a steady pursuit of quality across its small portfolio. The estate was established by Tom Cobb and is now led by his son Michael Cobb, who combines family stewardship with practical innovation in both vineyard and cellar. The team concentrates primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties, selecting sites and clones to capture concentration, balance and a clear sense of place.

Vineyards occupy a variety of sites across the valley, from well drained hillside blocks to more fertile valley floor parcels, providing diverse soils and mesoclimates. Vine age ranges from mature plantings to recently renewed parcels, and the estate applies sustainable practices to promote soil health and vine longevity. Canopy management, yield control and block by block harvest decisions are central to the viticultural approach, aimed at preserving natural acidity and varietal clarity.

Winemaking is directed by Michael Cobb with support from an experienced cellar team. The cellar philosophy favours gentle extraction and careful handling, using whole berry fermentations where appropriate, temperature controlled ferments and considered maceration to build structure without obscuring fruit purity. Maturation is carried out in selected French oak barrels of varying age and toast to complement rather than dominate site character. Regular blending trials are used to refine each bottling for balance, length and the ability to age.

The range includes approachable estate wines and limited release single vineyard bottlings that highlight site distinctiveness and vintage variation. In favourable years critics note ripe dark fruit, pepper and spice, fine tannin and an underlying mineral thread, with wines that develop greater complexity with bottle age. The Cobb family continues to invest in clonal selection, vine renewal and cellar technique to sustain long term quality and to express the varietal and site diversity of Napa Valley.