RAEN brings their A-game with every release, leveraging what Vinous called an incredible knack for making world-class Pinot Noir. James Suckling called this 2021 bottling refined and poised in an exemplary way, awarding it 97-98 points.

Wine Access members wasted no time clearing out our stock of the last vintage of Royal St. Robert, blessing it with an impressive 4.6-star rating. Because of the VERY small crop, we were only able to secure a handful of cases of the 2021 before RAEN sold outand because we got even less than last year, theyre bound to go fast.

From the start, the wines were met with critical applause. In one of his early reviews, Antonio Galloni of Vinous called them superb, and continued, Frankly, I had a hard time moving on from these wines as they were so deeply impressive from the moment I first tasted them."

In the 2021, superb takes the form of aromas of a fresh bowl of summer berries, dark bing cherry, wildflowers, and just a kiss of cola. Whole-cluster fermentation (100%) adds complexity, while aging in neutral French oak maintains the wines enticing levity. The fine-grained tannins will continue to evoke a gorgeous voluminous feel in the years to come.

The Royal St. Robert is a selection of the finest barrels from multiple Sonoma Coast sites near the village of Freestone, overlooking Bodega Bay. Deeply influenced by the maritime climate, fog rolls over the vines in the early morning, preserving the berries crystalline acidity. By late morning, the sun breaks through the mists and continues to warm the grapes throughout the day, leading to full concentration tempered by cold ocean breezes.

The result is an evocative Pinot Noir that has captured the attention of Master Sommeliers and Wine Access members alike, a unique must-try for any Pinot lover.