2020 Boar’s View ‘BDR’ Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

WSI95 JD93 In the glass, it pours a ripe red color and is pretty, with spicy notes of wild strawberries, woodsy earth, delicate incense, cardamon, and light minty notes lifting from the glass. It’s medium-bodied, with fine tannins, and has a clean, iron-rich mineral finish. Drink 2024-2036.
Estate Notes: In the glass, this wine exhibits a ripe ruby red hue. The wine’s dynamic palate suggests notes of blackberry bramble, forest floor, strawberry and black cherry. We held back this vintage and are pleased to releases it nowm in 2024 – the 2020 BDR Pinot Noir is delicious now and for a few years to come. (Thomas Rivers Brown)

This project, ten years in the making, is owned by Carol and Fred Schrader (famous for their Napa Valley Cabernets), who purchased 40 acres on the second ridge line in from the Pacific Ocean. Their debut vintage was 2012. The winemaker, who also produces the Schrader Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignons in Napa, is Thomas Rivers Brown.”

Though Fred Schrader is best known for founding Schrader Cellars, it’s Pinot Noir that often fills his glass. From the start, he has held a deep passion for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, exploring these varietals from Burgundy’s prestigious Domaines of Burgundy to California’s ‘True’ Sonoma Coast wineries. To bring his vision to life, Fred enlisted Ulysses Valdez, Sr. to cultivate his estate vineyards in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA.

This newly released Pinot Noir comes from his Bohan Dillon Road vineyard, now in its second decade producing fruit and is comprised of Calera, Mt. Eden, and Swan clone. Complex and layered, it offers notes of dark brambly berries, spice, and forest floor, growing more expressive with time in the glass. An exciting Pinot Noir to add to your collection.

The 2020 vintage, while challenging, has been called a winemaker’s vintage. The summer was warmer than average, with temps in the mid-80s most days, allowing veraison to happen a little earlier and extend hang time. The morning fog from the coast preserved natural acidity yielding an abundant but balanced crop.