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Nicholson Ranch Winery1877 visitors
| Nestled in the southern foothills of the Sonoma Valley, Nicholson Ranch Vineyards and Winery enjoys a combination of soils, sloping hills and climate that is ideal for producing outstanding wines. Bordered by the Carneros, our growing season is marked by sun-filled days giving way to cool evenings, creating a superb winegrowing environment. | Sonoma, CA
Phone: (707) 938-8822
Website: http://www.nicholsonranch.com
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Map to Nicholson Ranch Winery
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Chardonnay
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2004 Reserve Chardonnay Estate "Cuvée Natalie"
Sonoma Valley
With a very small berry year and intense concentration in the raw material, the wines seemed to lack the need for barrel impact. Most of the new wood went into our estate Chardonna ... morey after 10 months barrel aging. The absolute best new barrels of clones 96, 76 and hillside 4 went into a small stainless tank at this time to complete their aging process in the absence of oak and for clarification. Because the oak program is diminished in this wine, most of the structure comes from natural tannin and a bit of shriveling that occurred during the very hot end of August in 2004. The creaminess that opens the wine came predominantly from one use barrels that had just enough impact left to richen the wine without drying it out. The Dijon clones add the mineral/citrus notes that distinguish Natalie from the estate bottling while the clone 4 adds pure fatness in the way of tropical fruit and vanilla extract.
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Chardonnay
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2004 Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
Pale gold complexion. Nose of lychee, lemon meringue, vanilla custard and wet river rock. The clone 4 in the blend provides some tropical notes of shredded coconut, banana chips an ... mored guava. The dijon clones contribute a citrusy minerality and the smell and texture of the underlying framing acidity. The fruit quality on the palate is hard to pin down, balancing the two ends of the Chardonnay spectrum: sweet and fat and racy and focused. The finish is very clean and long with the abundance of fruit sustained and framed nicely by firm acidity.
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Chardonnay
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2003 SONA Late-Harvest Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
The only “sweet” wine this winery has ever produced. In homage to our owner, Deepak’s, heritage this golden liquid was dubbed SONA (meaning gold in Hindi). This wine offers r ... moreich texture to the palate with subtle hints of oak, butterscotch, citrus and dried apricots. On the finish, the taster is greeted with sweet honey and vanilla characteristics.
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Pinot Noir
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2005 Pinot Noir
Sonoma Valley
The 2005 Estate Pinot Noir is a nice counterpoint to our 2004. We were able to ripen our small crop slowly and evenly, experiencing our longest hangtime per pound produced in the R ... moreanch's history. This wine has a medium-plus color with a touch more black fruit than in years past. The aromatics have the now traditional high-toned red and orange fruits plus blackberries, cloves and cinnamon. Palate-wise, the berry/cherry combination shows through immediately, uninterrupted by oak or tannin.
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Pinot Noir
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2004 Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast
The 2004 Sonoma Coast comes from a single site in the far west corner of Sebastopol. Though heat defined most of the 2004 vintage, this site benefited tremendously from its colder, ... more foggier nature and northwest exposure. A mix of red and black fruits with the classic coastal cola/forest floor aromatics, this wine has really blossomed with an extrea year in bottle. The palate is crushed raspberries, cranberries and molasses with baking spice notes and acidity fleshing out the finish.
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Pinot Noir
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2004 Cactus Hill Pinot Noir
Sonoma Valley
In putting together the 2004 Cactus Hill, we leaned heavily on the cooperages that worked successfully with the raw material more than clones that were the strongest for the vintag ... moree. Remond came to the forefront in ’04 along with Cadus and Francois Freres. The completeness of clone 667 became the anchor for the blend with 777 adding a nice cola/sassafras spice and 115 providing some additional muscle. The combination of the three clones produces the now classic black tea/cranberry spice that dominates the Pinots from this property.
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Syrah
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2004 Syrah
Los Carneros, Madres Vineyard
Fruit for the 2003 Los Carneros was from Las Madres Vineyard in the Sonoma Carneros, and we have so enjoyed this fruit that we are happy now to endow it as a vineyard designate! Th ... moree nose is a heady blend of lavender, grilled meat, savory herbs and white pepper. The palate offers lush layers of dark fruits, especially jammy blackberry and cola qualities. This wine is drinking beautifully right now, and, though it pairs perfectly with grilled meats or game dishes, the favorite pastime now in the Tasting Room is to search for the perfect chocolate dessert to accompany the wine!
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Syrah
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2003 Estate Syrah
Sonoma Valley
The last of the 2003 offerings to roll out, our Estate Syrah has benefited tremendously from the long growing season it encountered and its extended bottle aging. In a tasting incl ... moreuding all our 2004 Syrahs, the 2003 Estate tasted like it had the greatest aging potential of the bunch. The nose is a steely bouquet of crushed rocks, white flowers, lavender and black pepper. Rich blackberries open the palate with a variety of dense black fruits, crème de cassis and firm allspice. The wine packs a tannic punch at the end so time in the decanter or a long nap in the cellar will help realize all this offering’s potential.
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Merlot
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2004
Merlot
Los Carneros
Aromatically this wine is a powerhouse of ripe and spicy qualities. On the nose you may find hints of clove, cassis, cinnamon, white pepper and menthol. On the palate it has true v ... morearietal characteristics of cocoa, mocha and bittersweet chocolate. This wine is approachable right now, especially with a few hours of decanting, and should improve quite nicely for several years to come.
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CrazyAboutWine recommends contacting Nicholson Ranch Winery at http://www.nicholsonranch.com or calling (707) 938-8822 to verify the winery's location.
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