POE Wines, “Van der Kamp” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Mountain Cheap

POE Wines, “Van der Kamp” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Mountain

Most people in the wine business remember a “eureka” moment that led them to pursue wine as a career. Samantha Sheehan was a tax accountant for corporate giant Deloitte & Touche who loved tasting wine in her (limited) downtime. Champagne was an early fascination, but she cites a 2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne, a Grand Cru white Burgundy, as the spark that really lit the flame. Her life path turned on a dime and a subsequent trip to Burgundy sealed her winemaking fate. Soon after, she found herself living in Napa with wine-soaked hands over her first barrel of Pinot Noir. In 2009, Sam founded POE, her label inspired by her deep affection for Burgundy and Champagne. We considered the “Van der Kamp Vineyard” Pinot Noir the jewel of her portfolio. Only a few vintners are able to get their hands on this prized Sonoma Mountain fruit. With over a decade of working with this vineyard, the results only get better and better. The vineyard lies above the fog line at nearly 1,500 feet in elevation. 

It’s truly a special site to grow Pinot and Sam acts as a steward of the vineyard crafting the wine as pure as possible. Thirty percent of the grapes are fermented whole-cluster with native yeast. The wine is aged on the lees for 12 months in 10% new French oak, 90% neutral French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. In the glass, the 2018 entices one with notes of wild currant, violets, and sagebrush. The wine is endowed with a sense of mountain structure and tannin. A savory effort enhanced with notes of dark black fruit, white pepper, iron, smoke, and herbs. This is distinctive and hauntingly beautiful along the lines of a serious Pommard Premier Cru.