Sonoma and
Neighbors 2022 &amp; 2023: Opposites Attract

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JANUARY 16, 2025 It’s that time of year. New releases from Sonoma County and
neighboring appellations are starting to hit the market. This report covers
some of the most exciting wines I tasted on my recent trip to Sonoma. As is our
custom, we will post frequent updates to this article in the coming weeks,
which we feel is the best way to keep readers current, given the sheer volume
of wines released this time of year. Readers can also look forward to a
forthcoming report focused on the Moon Mountain AVA, where the wines are quite
distinct from those made in the more central regions within Sonoma County.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating. Sonoma County
is a vast appellation. Unlike regions such as Burgundy, Piedmont, Bordeaux or
the heart of Napa Valley, where vineyards are often contiguous, vineyards in
Sonoma are much more spread out. Making useful generalizations about vintages,
especially challenging vintages, is next to impossible. Two thousand twenty-two
and 2023 were both marked by very difficult conditions. Looking at the wines
requires drilling down to the details for each estate/producer and wine. Broad
statements will be of little value.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1737039375484-Vinous_2025+Sonoma+Cover.jpg">Occidental’s Running Fence Vineyard, Bodega.

2022 Sonoma Pinot Noir Revisited

Now that I have tasted a broader number of Pinots Noir
relative to last year, I have a more complete view of the year, specifically as
it relates to Pinot. Of course, the most defining event of the growing season
was the brutal heat spike that descended around Labor Day, but 2022 is more
nuanced than just that period. The growing season got off to a quick start.
Frost was an issue in some areas, which resulted in lighter-bodied wines.
Weather was especially poor during fruit set. Many producers reported a significant
loss of crop. Some producers reported small clusters with small berries.

Summer months were mostly cool and very dry. Lower yields on
the vine were a blessing in disguise for several estates, as those producers
were able to ripen their crop by late August and early September, before the
Labor Day heat was at its most punishing. Others were forced to pick during or
after the heat. In these cases, the wines show some variability, but nothing as
extreme as in Napa Valley, where conditions were much more severe.

Generally, the 2022 Pinots are rich, heady wines with
notable textural intensity. Some 2022s are on the riper side, while others show
the effects of the heat in their grainy, slightly unpolished tannins. I tasted
a number of 2022s from cooler sites, where location balanced the natural
personality of the year nicely. Readers will also come across some 2022s that
are decidedly lighter because of frost, very early picking and a host of other
variables. Pinot Noir is an especially transparent grape, so all those nuances
are amplified in the wines.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1737039565855-Vinous_DuMOL.jpg">

Tasting the 2023s at DuMOL prior to bottling.

2023: A First Look

Two thousand twenty-three was almost the exact opposite of
2022. Cold, rainy weather throughout the year pushed the growing season back by
as much as a month, leading to some of the latest harvests in recent memory. At
a time when brutally dry, warm weather is more of a concern, the cooler year
was welcome, to a point. As a rule of thumb, warmer sites performed best in
2023 because fruit was able to ripen fully. That’s the exact opposite of 2022.

Conditions were much more challenging in naturally cooler marginal
sites, including the vineyards to which many winemakers have migrated in recent
years. In many of these spots, fruit struggled to ripen. Long summer days lead
to shorter fall days with less sunshine. As that happens, the angle of the sun
relative to the vineyards also changes, resulting in a different pattern of
ripening. For some places, the calendar of available days for fruit to ripen
simply ran out. In the most challenged spots, sugars stalled and fruit never
ripened. Even top producers were left with light-bodied whites and reds at 11%
alcohol that are simply green. That’s not a reflection of skill, talent or
dedication, but rather the result of a growing season that was extremely
difficult, one that left producers with very few options. The 2023s range from
majestic to underripe, with everything in between.

I tasted a few 2023s that overachieve because producers were
especially selective with what they bottled under their top labels. Savvy
readers will also find some very nice entry-level offerings that are the
beneficiaries of deselected fruit, as noted above, and/or a weak grape market
that has allowed winemakers in this space to source better quality fruit than
what is available to them in most years.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1737039543396-Vinous_Littorai.jpg">Tasting all the 2022s and 2023s at Littorai provides
numerous insights into the nuances of the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley.

First Come, First Served &amp; Other Pet Peeves

January is mailer season for many wineries that sell direct
to consumer. Buying/selling direct is a great way for consumers to source hard-to-find
wines and for wineries to build relationships with their end customers. Many
wineries also depend on higher-margin direct sales to subsidize other less
profitable parts of their business. So far, so good.

Quite a few wineries offer their wines on a first come,
first served basis. This is a horrible way to run a business. It does not
reward or even recognize loyalty over time, and it shows an appalling lack of
understanding that consumers who can afford high-end wines have other things to
do in life other than idly sit by their computers waiting for the latest offer
to come in. It's simply a lazy way to operate what should be a high-touch
business and to treat high-margin consumers, especially at a time when those
consumers have more choices than ever before.

I have been encouraged in seeing some wineries adopt
lighter, environmentally responsible bottles, but I am still shocked by how
many producers do not seem to care one bit about the implications of bottling
their wines in heavy glass and then shipping those bottles all over the United States
and the world. Especially in a region that has been so dramatically impacted by
wildfires, with those in Los Angeles still raging as of this writing, that
approach is completely tone-deaf.

Coming Soon…

On a more positive note, stay tuned, as we will be updating
this report frequently in the coming weeks.© 2025 Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2022-sonoma-preview-a-first-look-jan-2024">2022 Sonoma: A First Look</a>, Antonio Galloni, January 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/sonoma-s-sensational-2021s-aug-2023">Sonoma’s Sensational 2021s</a>, Antonio Galloni, August 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/california-north-coast-eyes-wide-open-jan-2022">California North Coast: Eyes Wide Open</a>, Antonio Galloni, January 2022 <div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/sonoma-preview-2021-edition-jan-2021">Sonoma: 2021 New Releases</a>, Antonio Galloni, January 2021</div>

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