MacPhail – A Rising Star in Pinot Noir

After working several years for small wineries in the Russian River and Dry Creek Valley appellations, winemaker James MacPhail set out on his own in 2002. From the start, his hand-crafted Pinot Noirs were world-class.

Originally produced in a custom crush facility along with other small wine producers, James completed his own small winery in Healdsburg in 2008. “This little winery allows me to fine tune my winemaking, crafting small lots with traditional techniques, minimal intervention and hands-on attention,” says James. With a self-imposed production limit of 5000 cases, he feels he can best maintain his personal style in the wines.

The current 2007 release of Macphail wines has seven vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, as well as the Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, of which 738 cases were produced. All of these wines are consistently delicious, but a couple of my favorites are the 2007 Sonoma Coast Sangiacomo Vineyard of which 170 cases were produced and the 2007 Anderson Valley Toulouse Vineyard with just under 500 cases made.

Hard to find..? Yes. Worth the effort..? You bet.

And remember, if you need help tracking down some of these luscious Pinots, give the Connoisseur a call…