Alcohol: 14.5 %
Grape(s): 100 % Pinot Noir
Location: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Tasting Notes: Bright ruby in color, with aromas of fresh leather, ripe cherries, sweet spices, and forest earth. The palate is medium-framed and focused, showing refreshing acidity, ripe tannins, and a gently tapering spiced finish. Another published note describes cranberry, pomegranate, graham cracker, tobacco, tea leaves, and forest floor, with concentrated spicy flavors and juicy acidity.
Notes: The Russian River Valley bottling is made from estate vineyards plus purchased fruit and is matured for 9 months in 28% new French oak. The wine is described as full-bodied in one review and as medium-framed in another, but both agree on its bright acidity, ripe tannins, and earthy, spicy profile.
Food Pairing: Works well with roast duck, grilled salmon, mushroom risotto, and soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert.
Winery Story: Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1993 out of Don and Jennifer Hartford's appreciation for the wines, the people, and the unique vineyards near their Russian River Valley home. Located in the Sonoma County town of Forestville, the winery is about 15 miles from the cool Pacific Coast.
Making delicious wines of high personality is directly related to the difficult locations of the Hartford family's vineyard sources, the limited production of their bottlings, and the varietals they use. "Character through adversity" is an expression that the Hartford family believes applies to both people and grapevines, and they feel that surviving adversity builds character and personality in both.
The Hartford Family makes wines under two marks, one of which is Hartford Court. Hartford Court bottlings are small lots of high-personality single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express the distinctive qualities inherent in each vineyard's terroir - the interplay of soil, slope, exposure, and climate. The fruit is sourced from the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast appellations.
