2013 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (4/23/2015)
Last night I opened the 2013 Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. I took my first sip about 30 seconds after the bottle had been opened. The first word that popped into my head was “crunchy.” Then I started mentally comparing the 2013 to the 2012. Now the 2012 has been one of my favorite wines of the last year. I have blown through way too many bottles of it, and it caused me to focus on the 2013 Sonoma Coast in my purchases, in lieu of the single vineyard wines. The 2012 was (and is!) captivating in an almost luxurious sense. It’s not fat or overripe, but is caresses the senses. The 2013 is less well-mannered. It has a crisp feel. It shows cooler fruit than the 2012, and 2012 was not “hot.” There’s a woodsy feel to the 2013, and an element of warm herbs that I never got in the 2012. Granted it might have been there in the ’12, but the fruit kept it hidden. We’ll see what cellar time brings.
Anyway, back to the 2013, as measured on its merits. I am once again in love with a Sonoma Coast blend Pinot Noir. As mentioned above, this shows a cooler side of the grape, and thus has more immediate complexity to my taste than it would if the youthful fruit did a solo act on center stage. The medium bodied frame contains plenty of red fruit, focusing on the strawberry and raspberry end of the spectrum. Those woodsy and herbal notes weave in and out. Sometimes I take a sip and get one, sometimes the other. Sometimes both come in, and that is the best. Other elements step in here and there as well. One time I was sure I smelled black licorice. Now I do not like black licorice, but that aroma, combined with the fruit and herbs was just captivating, and added an additional level to the wine. Structurally there was some tannin, but this wine built on its acids. My mouth was watering after each sip, and so I kept picking up the glass, again and again.
On the Sonoma Coast front, it’s worth mentioning that over time I have gravitated more and more to the blended, appellation wines. It’s not just with Jamie’s Pinot, but with Pax Mahle’s Wind Gap Sonoma Coast Syrah and Pinot. The Littorai Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir fascinates me as well. The Rhys San Mateo is another wine that has me in its spell. I love the single vineyard wines, but have come to really appreciate the skill that results in a blended wine which delivers immense pleasure at a more affordable price point.
Posted from CellarTracker