Davis Bynum

Davis Bynum was one of the first if not the first person to plant Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley. Bynum passed off the to Tom Klein, proprietor of Rodney Strong in 2007. So when my sister said she wanted a bottle of “A True Gentleman’s Port” for Christmas, I decided to set up a tasting.

Tastings are by appointment only Thursdays through Mondays and although you can’t make a reservation on the Davis Bynum site you can on the Rodney Strong. At $40pp the tasting includes five wines (currently two chardonnays and three pinot noirs).

I think what drew me most to this tasting was the opportunity to really compare clones. The 667 had dark fruit, lots of umami, and even a little barnyard, while the 114 was what I consider to be a more classic taste with raspberry, red apple, and all spice. The Linkey’s Knoll was a new clone for us: 2A from Switzerland. It reminded me of a Werther’s Original.

We were also able to try the Blue Wing—a porch pounder form the Petaluma gap—and the Rockaway—which comes from the Alexander Valley next the to the Prevail vineyard (which we already knew we loved). The 2018 had a combination of red fruit, tobacco, chocolate, and stone.

Our two favorite wines of the tasting were the Gravel Lens Chardonnay and the 600r. The Gravel Lens had all the butterscotch, marshmallow, and buttered popcorn you would expect from a chardonnay but also a fantastic minimality and acid. “Not what I expected from 100% new oak,” said Husband. I’m excited to try pairing this with an antipasto salad. The 600r is the winemakers baby. It is bold, beautiful, and balanced, but beyond our price point at $175 a bottle.