97-Point by Jeb Dunnuck.
All destemmed and brought up 83% new French oak, the tiny production 2018 Pinot Noir The Traveler is a gem of a wine that ranks with the top tier releases in the vintage. Made by Todd Kohn and all from the estate Wayfarer Vineyard, it offers a beautiful bouquet of ripe strawberries, framboise, white flowers, toasted spice, and pine/forest floor-like nuances. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir with stunning tannins, a seamless texture, and flawless balance. It has a big core of sweet fruit (I'd guess Russian River blind) yet is just pure class, with nothing out of place and a great, great finish. It needs an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon, and it's going to evolve for a solid decade.
HISTORY:
Wayfarer was founded as a secluded farmstead more than 40 years ago, before its locale was defined as the now coveted Fort Ross Seaview AVA. In 1989, Jayson Pahlmeyer's winemaker, Helen Turley, discovered the site for sale down the road from her Marcassin vineyard. She introduced Pahlmeyer, declaring it destined to become "the La Tache of California."