Sonoma County Pinot Noir (2021)

About this wine

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from select vineyards across Sonoma County, including sites in Los Carneros, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Valley. The fruit was handpicked, destemmed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks at cool temperatures for about three weeks to preserve fresh red fruit aromatics. It was aged roughly eight months in French oak with about a quarter of the barrels new, which gives a subtle vanilla and sandalwood note without overpowering the fruit. On the nose expect red cherry, raspberry, dried florals and a light earthy undercurrent. The palate is medium bodied with lively acidity, fine chalky tannins and flavors of tart red berries, bramble and a faint smoky spice on the finish. This vintage shows a focused, fruit forward profile with reserved oak and enough structure to drink now or cellar a few years.

About the grape

Pinot Noir traces its modern identity to Burgundy, France, where its thin skins and fickle nature made it prized for elegant, site driven red wines and led to the selection of many clones for different soils and climates. In Sonoma County the variety found success in cool coastal and hillside sites, where fog, fractured soils and careful canopy management help retain acidity and delicate aromatics for regional bottlings like this one. Banshee’s 2021 Sonoma County Pinot Noir is made entirely from Pinot Noir fruit sourced across Sonoma, using many clones to build complexity and cool temperature fermentation in small stainless steel lots with a restrained oak program. Producers in the region typically employ careful cane pruning and trellis systems to limit yields and expose fruit to cooling breezes, practices reflected in Banshee’s focus on coastal sites and single vineyard expressions used for their Pinot Noir.

Quick facts

• 🌊 The 2021 Sonoma County Pinot Noir is blended from fruit from several distinct Sonoma places, including Los Carneros, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast and Sonoma Valley, giving it a coastal to valley personality.
• 🍻 Banshee began not in a vineyard but in a San Francisco bar in the Dogpatch neighborhood, when three friends decided to make wine together in 2009.
• 🏅 The 2021 received a Wine Enthusiast Editors Choice score of 93, a rare bit of mainstream acclaim for an affordable Sonoma Pinot.
• 🌱 Banshee assembles its Sonoma County Pinot from many different Pinot Noir clones, roughly ten clones across sites, which creates layered red fruit and spice notes.
• 🎸 Banshee has released playful limited editions and pop culture tie ins, including an Avril Lavigne special label Pinot Noir, making the brand memorable beyond the bottle.

Palate profile

Producer

Banshee Wines began as a small, independent label in Sonoma County in the late 1990s, founded by a group of friends with a passion for coastal Pinot Noir and approachable, terroir driven wines. Over time the brand became part of the Foley Family Wines portfolio, which allowed it to expand production while keeping a playful, music influenced tasting room culture. Banshee operated a popular downtown Healdsburg tasting room for years, and in late 2023 it opened a larger Alexander Valley estate and tasting facility to showcase its estate views and expanded visitor experiences. The winery focuses on cool coastal Pinot Noir and single vineyard expressions while offering a broad portfolio that includes Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet family varieties.