Pale ruby color; cherry, raspberry, strawberry, rosemary, chocolate, black pepper forest floor on the nose and palate.
Dry; pleasant, chewy, silky tannins; very good balancing acidity (3.48 pH). Medium body. Excellent complexity, elegance, and subtleness. Grapes hand-harvest from the Roberts Road Vineyard, 130 acres at the western base of Sonoma Mountain in the northern reach of the Petaluma Gap AVA. Vintage identified as quality over quantity. Cool temperatures delayed budbreak and dry conditions reduced yields by up to 30 percent, concentrating flavors. Harvest at the beginning of October—the Roberts Road Vineyard traditionally is one of the last to be harvested in the Petaluma Gap AVA. 13.9% ABV
Grapes were hand-sorted in the vineyard, then hand-sorted in the winery on vibrating sorting table. Grapes 100 percent gently destemmed with emphasis on maintaining intact whole berries. Up to six days of cold soaking with dry ice used to prevent oxidation. Primary fermentation with native yeasts in open-top, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with manual cap management via punch-downs, a hallmark of traditional Burgundian winemaking. Winemaker Katy Wilson is strong advocate of non-intervention in the winery. Ross Cobb is the consulting winemaker today, having preceded Wilson as head winemaker.
Led by Ross Cobb, Anaba sources French oak barrels exclusively from two premier Burgundian cooperages: François Frères Tonnellerie and Tonnellerie Rousseau. Both cooperages specialize in tight-grain oak from Central and Eastern French forests and air-dried for 24-36 months before coopering. Anaba favors medium to medium-long toast levels. Cobb notes: “I prefer a lighter touch, less caramelized sweetness.” Wine ages 20 months in oak, 25-30% new. Standard 225-liter (59.5 gallons) barrels are used. Full malolactic conversion occurs in barrel.
John Sweazey is the owner of Anaba Wines. His career took him from studying business at Stanford University, to selling IBM computer systems. In 1971, Sweazey quit his IBM job to took a nine-month tour through Europe, particularly exploring the wine culture. He engaged in commercial real estate sales upon returning to San Francisco, but he also took regular month-long European tours to refine his understanding of wine. In the early 2000s, he was able to acquire land developed by Vic McWilliams in the early 1990s in Carneros, Sonoma County. McWilliams’s Castle Vineyards & Winery is the foundation for today’s Anaba winery. Anaba Wines was founded in 2006. A pinot noir was the first release in 2006, followed by chardonnay in 2007.
Anaba Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap 2021 is a superb, elegant, smooth example of Petaluma Gap pinot. The Gap’s signature morning fogs off San Pablo Bay and coolness of the Russian River Valley presents a classic situation for producing quality Burgundian-style pinot noir. Anaba delivers. $74-79
Pairing—Duck is a classic, particularly with fruit accompaniments (orange-based reduction, blackcurrant sauce, cherry gastrique); veal with mushroom sauces. Roast chicken prepared with thyme or rosemary. Salmon, including cedar-plank roasting; lentil, beer, mushroom sauces; less successful with cream-based reductions. Vietnamese noodle soups. Cheese—Aged gruyère, comté; aged goat cheese, Crottin de Chavignol, Humboldt Fog; brie, camembert; aged manchego, ossau-iraty; fontina, taleggio; aged cheddar. Avoid intense blue cheeses.
