N°7 Pinot Noir Reviews

An aromatic nose of sliced strawberries, violets, roses, pitted cherries and sage. Medium- to full-bodied with silky tannins. There is a hum of red fruit and berries on the palate here. Lovely herbal complexity. Really wonderful length. It just keeps going. Drink or hold.

A gorgeous nose of violets, roses, fresh strawberries, crushed herbs and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with soft tannins. Gentle, but concentrated, with lots of depth and complexity. A fascinating blend of 2019 pinot noir from Burgundy (48%) and Sonoma Coast (52%). Drink or hold.

Pale to medium ruby in color, the 2019 Pinot Noir No 7 wows with a fantastic perfume of violets, pomegranate, raspberry coulis, and kirsch plus hints of crushed rocks, underbrush, and spearmint. Medium to full-bodied, it is very pure in the mouth with delicate red berry and earthy layers framed by seamless freshness and a soft, fine-grained texture, finishing long and mineral-laced.

Sweet rose petal opens the nose of this intensely ripe wine, seductive in layers of soft integrated oak and tannin. The flavors veer into strawberry, cherry and orange, with an underlying brightness that helps balance out the bold. 

The 2015 Pinot Noir No. 7 is medium ruby-purple in color with a fragrant nose of violets, black raspberries and black cherries with touches of chocolate box, cedar chest and black tea. The palate is medium to full-bodied with plenty of savory-laced black berry flavors and a chewy frame, finishing on a dried herbs note.

Though the broad, soft structure of this wine doesn’t feel particularly coastal, there’s coolness to the fruit and salinity that makes the connection. At first, this is more about sweet fruit than mineral depths, but the structure builds more edgy power with air. Decant it and you’ll have a luscious, salty red for a spicy pork braise.

A solid pinot with dried berry and walnut character. Hints of cedar. Full and juicy. Tannic. Muscular. Needs two or three years to soften.

Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2014 Pinot Noir No. 7 has an earthy nose of moss-covered bark, damp loam and underbrush over a delicate core of cranberries and raspberry leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate offers just enough red-fruit freshness to counter the earthy flavors, with a seamless backbone of fine-grained tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing with excellent length.

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. The aromas of black cherry, earthy flora, leather and toasty oak blend together nicely. Tasty flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and blackberry energize the attack and mid palate, persisting on the finish with lip-smacking goodness. A well-crafted wine with married tannins, deft oak integration and overall joy.

The three Pinot Noirs I tasted include the 2013 Pinot Noir No. 7 from Sonoma Coast. It shows a dark ruby/plum color and loads of red apple skin notes intermixed with cherry, strawberry, a touch of raspberry, earthiness and spice. The fruit is pure, rich, medium to full-bodied and promising. This is a youthful wine that should drink nicely for up to a decade.

Fulsome and voluptuous in red and dark cherry, No. 7 is meant to be “debonair, charismatic and seductive.” It is all those things, and stays well balanced between fruit, spice and oak, the weight and texture indeed silky and seductive.

 — V.B.  

Chairman's Award 
Unanimous Gold
Clean, elegant freshness, with a long, lingering finish.

JCB's pinots are gradually becoming more impressive over the years. This '11 isn't their greatest effort given the huge difficulties of the cold vintage, but it is a success. Brisk acidity and a clean, dry mouthfeel make the raspberry, red currant , white pepper and sandalwood flavors attractive to drink now.

Opulent and complex showing dried cherry, ripe tree fruit, black tea, and spice, with hints of mushroom and earth. Long, silky finish. Delicious. Grilled squad with chanterelles.

Young, with a mix of generous boysenberry and oak in a complex, layered effort, gaining a pleasing melted black licorice aftertaste and letting the oak ease its way tin to the heart of the wine. Best from 2013 through 2022.

This is a rich, delicious and balanced Pinot. It defines the modern California style, being dry, silky and ripe, showing a wealth of raspberry, cherry, cola, persimmon and spice flavors. Oak adds rich notes that are perfectly in keeping with the fruit. Drink this savory wine over the next few years.

A stylish statement, reliant on equal parts dense, mocha-laced flavors of currant and dark berry, joined by creamy, vanilla bean-tinged oak. Extracted, dense and concentrated, this maintains its chewiness through the finish, where it takes on a more rustic presence. The inaugural Jean-Charles Boisset Cabernet. Best from 2013 through 2023. 50 cases made. –JL

Young, with a mix of generous boysenberry and oak in a complex, layered effort, gaining a pleasing melted black licorice aftertaste and letting the oak ease its way into the heart of the wine.