El Pino Club house spotlight
2022 El Pino Club 'The Cusp' Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, USA
Russian River Pinot from Trenton Road, James Suckling 93, a fog-and-sun 2022 you can open at twenty dollars.
The 2022 The Cusp is 100 percent Pinot Noir from Trenton Road Vineyard: ripe cherry, dried fruit, chocolate dust, toasted marshmallow, and a pomegranate close, now $20.
Russian River Pinot with fog and sun in the same glass, not a delicate slogan
The Cusp is El Pino Club's Trenton Road Pinot, built to sit on the line between Russian River fog and Sonoma sunshine. James Suckling 93: a broad, earthy, slightly roasted character, spicy, almost meaty, full-bodied, a light grip of tannin boosting savory mushroom flavors that differentiate it from usual Russian River Pinot. The house note is ripe cherries, dried fruits, chocolate dust, and toasted marshmallows, then an elegant full-bodied palate and a smooth pomegranate finish. This is the bottle that puts RRV Pinot on a Tuesday table at twenty dollars.
The vineyard
Trenton Road sits in the Russian River Valley, with afternoon Pacific fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the river.
The wine
100% Pinot Noir. Clones include Mt. Eden, Pommard, Swan, and Dijon. French oak. A proudly New World, full-bodied Pinot.
The scores
James Suckling 93: earthy, spicy, almost meaty, savory mushroom, a light tannin grip.
The drinker
Cherry and earth first. Serve 55 to 60 F. Twenty minutes of air. Duck or lamb.
Cherry and marshmallow, then mushroom, spice, and pomegranate
The house opens on ripe cherries, dried fruits, chocolate dust, and toasted marshmallows, then abundant cherry and a smooth pomegranate close. James Suckling found a broad, earthy, slightly roasted, spicy, almost meaty Pinot, full-bodied, with savory mushroom flavors and a light tannin grip that sets it apart from typical Russian River gloss.
A Sonoma Pinot year that kept dark fruit and a roasted, earthy line. Drink now. The 2022 is open, spicy, and built for a table, not a long cellar speech.
Ripe cherry, dried cherry, strawberry, pomegranate, chocolate dust, toasted marshmallow, pine needle.
Full for Pinot, light tannin grip, French oak, savory mushroom, coastal acidity.
Pomegranate, spice, earth. Serve 55 to 60 F. Twenty minutes of air.
Fog for acid, sun for dark fruit, French oak for the middle
Trenton Road is farmed for the tension El Pino Club named the wine after: morning fog, afternoon sun, slow ripening, preserved acidity. The 2022 is 100 percent Pinot from RRV blocks, raised in French oak, bottled as a full, round, New World Pinot rather than a pale Burgundy copy.
Clones on the program have included Mt. Eden 37, Pommard 4, Swan 97, and Dijon 777.
Serve 55 to 60 F in Burgundy stems. Twenty minutes of air is for cherry, mushroom, and spice.
A Pinot collective on Trenton Road
El Pino Club is a Pinot Noir project built around site-specific blocks and winemakers with a free hand. The Cusp is the Russian River bottling.
The name is the point: fog on one side, sun on the other, Pinot on the cusp.
Trenton Road Vineyard is the RRV source. Earlier vintages already showed the house as a Costco and club Pinot with real scores.
The 2022 is that idea after a spicy, earthy year: cherry, mushroom, pomegranate, and a $20 pour.
Duck, lamb, and a little cherry
This Pinot wants savory richness and a red-fruit plate. Duck and cherry stay in its raspberry lane. A lamb chop takes the earthy, meaty close.
Two plates. One duck breast with fresh cherry sauce. One rosemary lamb chop. Both can take The Cusp's tannin and spice.
Serve 55 to 60 F. Twenty minutes of air. Burgundy stems. Air is for cherry, mushroom, and marshmallow.
Duck Breast with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Duck gives the wine enough richness to push against, while cherry keeps the pairing in its red-fruited lane.
Why it works: Ripe cherry and pomegranate cut duck fat. Earth and mushroom meet the savory skin.
View Recipe for duck breasts with cherry sauce (opens in a new tab)
Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops
Herb-crusted lamb for a spicy, almost meaty Russian River Pinot.
Why it works: Lamb fat rounds the tannin. Rosemary echoes the earthy, roasted close James Suckling found.
View Recipe for rosemary garlic lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Put this Cusp Pinot in the cart
James Suckling 93, Trenton Road, Russian River fog and sun. Twenty dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the RRV Pinot for a table that wants cherry and earth, not a delicate slogan.
