There is nothing restrained about Belle Glos’ Dairyman Pinot Noir, yet its richness begins in one of the Russian River Valley’s coolest corners. Dairyman Vineyard lies on the appellation’s southern alluvial plains, where morning fog from the Pacific and afternoon coastal breezes extend the growing season and allow Pinot Noir to ripen slowly. The property was once a dairy farm before being planted to Dijon-clone Pinot Noir in 2000, preserving a piece of its agricultural past in a vineyard now devoted to a very different kind of farming. Belle Glos introduced Dairyman as a vineyard-designated Pinot Noir in 2011, giving winemaker and owner Joseph Wagner a Russian River Valley counterpart to the coastal sites that define the Belle Glos collection. The 2024 arrives deep garnet in the glass, immediately revealing the generous style that has become Dairyman’s signature. Black cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate and black currant form the aromatic core, with cedar and baking spice adding another dimension. The palate pushes further into ripe blackberry and raspberry, joined by cinnamon, chocolate and nutmeg, yet the wine retains focus beneath all that concentration. Refined tannins give the fruit shape, while fresh acidity keeps its density from becoming ponderous. The Tasting Panel awarded the 2024 94 points, finding crushed black cherry and chocolate alongside flashes of thyme and candied violet. What makes Dairyman compelling is the tension between its place and its personality. Russian River Valley’s fog and coastal influence provide the long, measured growing season Pinot Noir needs, while Belle Glos deliberately draws out the vineyard’s darker, more sumptuous side. The result is Pinot Noir on a broad canvas: ripe fruit, spice, polished texture and unmistakable weight, carried through a smooth, mouthwatering finish. For anyone who knows Belle Glos for its unapologetically rich interpretation of California Pinot Noir, the 2024 Dairyman is a vivid reminder of where that style can be most convincing, anchored in the cool air and long season of the Russian River Valley.