Lombardi Giusti Ranch Pinot Noir 2018
Tony Lombardi was born into a family of small business owners, and grew up in Sonoma County. His first job in the wine business came in 1998 when he joined the hospitality team at Clos Du Bois Winery, located in Geyserville, California.
From 2001 to 2013, Lombardi held senior leadership positions in marketing, public relations, and sales for such companies as Allied Domecq Wines, Beam Wine Estates, J Vineyards & Winery, Ascentia Wine Estates, and Kosta Browne Winery.
In partnership with his wife Christine, Lombardi founded Lombardi Wines in 2013 with a barrel of Chardonnay and a barrel of Pinot Noir. He describes himself as a storyteller/connector at heart, and loves to tell the unique and interesting personal stories of Sonoma and Napa wineries and winemakers, and connect them and their wines to people across the country. As part of that effort, he was encouraged to take the leap of faith in creating his own label from his former employers Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. They told him, “We did it, so should you!”
Lombardi hired Cabell Coursey in 2015 to be his winemaker and viticulturist/grower relations manager after he had held those jobs for three years at Kosta Browne. Coursey also toils at his own winery, Coursey Graves. Prior to those efforts, he was the winemaker with Andy Smith at Dumol. Well traveled, he has made wines all over the world, including Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon, and California.
Coursey and Lombardi make small lots of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA. However, the winery owns no acreage or vineyards itself. Rather, the Pinot Noir fruit is sourced from growers in the greater Petaluma area, where the Lombardi family has been since 1947, and Lombardi himself has cultivated many close relationships.
The winery is not open to the public and does not have a tasting room. The wines are sold through an allocated mailing list. This limited production is by design, as Lombardi wants the winery to grow “organically.” Newly active members are first offered the Appellation Series and a small allocation of limited production single vineyard designates. Consistent ordering gains members access to a wider selection of wines.
Lombardi Pinot Noir Giusti Ranch 2018
The fruit for this wine was grown by the Giusti family, who came to Sonoma from San Pelligrino, Italy in the 1870s. They began by farming olives and grapes, then moved over the years to prunes, cherries, and apples, and have now returned to grapes and olives. The first Pinot Noir planting was in 2000.
Under the Giusti Ranch Vineyard designate, in addition to supplying Lombardi, the family also sells grapes to Kosta Browne Winery, in another example of Tony Lombardi’s tightly-knit network.
This wine was fermented in 100% French oak barrels (50% new). It then saw 14 months of aging in barrels sourced from Taransaud, Chassin, and Boutes. Like the Hill Justice, it is a very crystal-clear deep purple. It also has similar aromas of dark stone fruit, blackberry, and a bit of baked cherry pie. It is super smooth as well, with flavors echoing the scents. The acidity and tannins are well balanced, and the wine delivers a long finish. The ABV is 14.8%. 100 cases were made.
Although Oregon and Washington state are justifiably famous for their Pinot Noirs, Lombardi’s selections prove that with high-quality fruit and a skilled winemaker, Sonoma can do equally well. Indeed, these are some of the best Pinot Noirs I’ve ever had. Highly recommended.
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