Failla Estate Fort Ross-Seaview Pinot Noir 2024
(Fort Ross-Seaview, California) - [VM 96]

About the Winery:
Founded in 1998, Failla is a project by winemaker Ehren Jordan and his wife Anne-Marie Failla that is dedicated to sourcing cool climate fruit from the coastal areas of California and making wine using traditional Burgundian methods. Ehren debuted in the California wine industry in 1994, followed by a sojourn to Cornas. After years of making wines for both Neyers Vineyards and Turley Wine Cellars, Ehren decided to start his own business.

In 2004, he purchased 10 acres of land on the Silverado Trail in the Napa Valley that included a vintage yellow farm house and stone winery dating back to the 1800s. In addition to renovating the existing facility, the team built a state-of-the-art bi-level wine cave that's nearly 12,000 square foot and features a concrete egg fermentation room and gravity flow equipment.

About this Wine:
While always a bold expression of the West Sonoma Coast, this wine also offers elegance, with a palate of bay leaves, dried herbs, orange marmalade & faint leather. 

About this vintage:
The 2024 vintage is a return to a more classic California. Vineyards, buoyed by abundant winter rain, emerged replenished and resilient. The vines enjoyed a balanced, mostly cool summer, allowing us to pick at optimum ripeness. The wines showcase grace, structure, dense aromas and a promise of tremendous longevity.  

Ratings & Reviews

96 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2024 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is one of the most compelling wines in this range. It's classic Ehren Jordan all the way. Dark-fleshed fruit, lavender, licorice and dried herbs all develop in the glass. I admire the wine's energy, complexity and overall dimension. Floral, earthy and savory notes continue to build through to the layered, expansive finish. The Estate Pinot is a blend of all three sections of the vineyard, an approach that naturally offers a a great deal of complexity both with regard to terroir and clone." - Antonio Galloni (Jan 2026)

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck (2021):

A semi-opaque red, the 2021 Pinot Noir Estate offers lots of ripe mixed berry and blue fruits as well as notes of candied flowers, loads of graphite and dark stone, and well-balanced spice. Full-bodied on the palate, with ripe, sweet tannins, it’s the fullest bodied of these wines from Failla. Another exceptional wine from Ehren Jordan, it will certainly benefit from another few years in bottle before drinking 2025-2040.

95 Points - James Suckling (2023):

Rich aromas of black tea, bergamot, shiitake mushrooms, plums and macerated black cherries. A profound and delicious medium-bodied wine with length, sturdy tannins and refreshing acidity. Drink or hold to see these flavors evolve and integrate.