The Bodega Vineyard Pinot Noir is RAEN’s most rare and critically celebrated wine: a 1.8-acre site of the oldest metre-by-metre planting of Pinot Noir on the Sonoma Coast, situated directly behind Bodega Bay between the villages of Freestone and Occidental. The vineyard’s steep slope and extreme vine density require it to be farmed entirely by hand, and the Pacific fog that engulfs it each morning produces conditions of remarkable cool-climate intensity. James Suckling awarded it a perfect 100 points for the 2023 vintage, citing its “steely acidity and complex flavours of red cherries, red plums, raspberries, violets, wild herbs, wet stones and chalk.”

The 2024 growing season on the Sonoma Coast was described by RAEN as delivering “extraordinary balance,” a quality confirmed by Antonio Galloni of Vinous, who singled out the balance of the 2024s as their defining characteristic after tasting the full lineup. The Bodega Vineyard’s 100% whole-cluster vinification, native yeast fermentation and bottling without fining or filtration is maintained across every vintage, giving the wine a consistency of character that allows each year’s distinct personality to emerge without winemaking imposition. The 2024 was reviewed by RAEN as one of the most complex and nuanced Bodega vintages yet produced.

Both James Suckling and Vinous awarded the 2024 Bodega Freestone Occidental Pinot Noir 97 points, an exceptional recognition for a wine whose preceding vintage had earned a perfect score. Galloni’s Vinous review described “soaring aromatics… bold red-toned fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol and pomegranate… all the elements so well balanced,” singling it out as a Pinot of “exceptional finesse and nuance.” The wine is sold exclusively through RAEN’s mailing list allocation, making bottles available through specialist retailers a genuine rarity.

A complex nose of rose petal, wild strawberry, black cherry, blood orange, exotic spice and burnt orange pith, with a characteristic thread of coastal salinity and wet volcanic rock. The palate is richly textural with a beautiful balance of red and dark berry fruit, a seamlessly integrated whole-cluster contribution and a very long, mineral finish of great persistence. Best from 2027 through 2042.

Soaring aromatics are immediately alluring. Bold red-toned fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol and pomegranate caress the palate. All the elements are so well balanced. Readers will find a Pinot of exceptional finesse and nuance.  — Vinous