2014 Head High Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Head High Pinot Noir: Bill Price’s Newest Venture on Sonoma Coast

Bill Price is one of the founding members of the Texas Pacific Group. But in the wine world, it’s Price’s passion for America’s most celebrated Pinot Noirs — the vineyards from which they’re drawn and the craftsmen who make them — that most distinguishes him.

Unlike so many of the uber-wealthy who are quick to publicize their investments, Price keeps a low profile, letting his winemakers and their wines do all the talking. Meanwhile, Price has laid claim to some of the most extraordinary Pinot Noir vineyards on the coast — including Durell and Gap’s Crown — and has then formed partnerships with the likes of Kosta Browne, Gavin Chanin, and Sam Spencer at Head High.

When you sit with Sam and sip and swirl the 2014 Head High Pinot Noir, it’s easy to understand why the most celebrated vineyard developer in Sonoma Valley placed a large bet on him. Sam, too, is understated and quick to deflect attention away from his rigorous Burgundian cellar protocol. Instead, Spencer credits the meticulous farming practices at Price’s Durell and Wildcat Canyon vineyards and Sangiacomo Family’s Vella and El Novillero vineyards, the high percentage of Pommard clone — and the extraordinary concentration of 2014 — for the deep color, intense concentration, and sexy aromatics of this superb new release from Head High.

While the more widely planted Dijon clones are known for their dark color and floral aromatics, Spencer’s favored Pommard clone offers greater density and aromatic intensity. Working with small-berry bunches, Spencer treated clusters to a 4-day cold soak, leaching out brilliant ruby color, fine tannins, and Pommard clone muscle. Each vineyard block was vinified separately in François Frères and Remond barrels, 25% of which were new. Despite the high sugars at harvest and finished alcohol readings that topped 14%, acids remained firm.

Brilliant purple-ruby to the edge. Explosive aromas of black raspberry and black cherry, a hint of kirsch, bracketed by new-wood cedar. Rich, juicy, and palate-staining, dense and chewy, filled with a luscious mix of crushed red- and black-fruit preserves. Despite the tremendous opulence of the vintage, finishing with excellent persistence, vibrancy, and tension. Drink now for its youthful bombast, or like all the great Pinot Noirs drawn off of Bill Price’s vineyards, lay this one down until the early 2020s.

$38 from the winery — or as delicious as top-notch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ever gets at $25/bottle today on WineAccess. Shipping included on 4.