Article "Aged California Pinot Noir: Proceed at Your Own Risk"

I know this has been debated ad nauseum, but I enjoyed this article in PinotFile. Did a tasting of several Cali wineries’ older PNs, with tasting notes on each. In particular, liked Rusty’s notes on older Littorais, which seemed to fare well.

http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/1916/

Littorai is the only producer in the article I have any experience with. Are the others considered ageworthy by folks?

The stuff he calls aged ain’t aged.

We routinely drink 80s onward Rochioli, Williams Selyem, and Navarro (ran out of 80’s for this, but great) and they hold up fabulously.

Hansell does it right, there are many that truly age.

“Proceed at your own risk,” huh. Who else’s risk would I proceed at?

Agree, but it’s interesting to see notes on wines which have had a little cellaring. I’ve had Littorai and Paul Lato, but none of the others. Windy Oaks is on my wish list - write-ups are intriguing.

Good question…hoping others weigh in.

Really producer and style dependent I’ve found - no reason well made CA pinots cannot age to the extent that top red Burgs do (notwithstanding that most do not - most Burgs don’t either for that matter). Opened a 2005 Kistler Catherine Pinot last night and blind I might have guessed no older than 2010 or 2012 - aging nicely with many years ahead. I was shocked that it showed so young.

I often drink Arcadian Pinot Noir with 15-18 yrs of age and they rival the best wines on the on the planet. I do so at my own risk.

15-20 year old Rochioli is great, Mount Eden can go even longer.

Windy Oaks participates in BerserkerDay. I have found that their wines definetly need time in the bottle.

I’ve had some Dehlinger pinots from the 80’s and early 90’s that were wonderful! And Chalone from the 80’s!

My experience as well. 2002 Kistler Sonoma Coast took 12 years to come around. Sadly I had drunk that final bottle on year 12.

I attended a tasting put on by Burt Williams…went back to 1985…all fantastic…

I ve also enjoyed older Saintsbury pinots…also the older Mondavi reserves will surprise…

So you often drink the best wines on the planet? I would like to take that risk as well. I salute you sir!

As has been noted by others before me, I find it pretty funny what this author considers “aged” to be … 10 years post-vintage is the very beginning of what I consider “aged,” to be, and that’s very wine-dependent.

with a nod towards Dennis’s post: I still have not yet had an OTH Arcadian Pinot, and – I swear – I’ve been trying!

It ain’t easy! [thumbs-up.gif]

An interesting article indeed, and written by a guy who knows a lot about this variety. I think everyone has a different idea of what they’re looking for in an aged wine. Some want the wine to resemble the same wine as it was when it was young. Others hope it develops secondary and tertiary flavors and Aromas.

I am no expert in age wines, but I found enjoyment in so many of them when others have not. I don’t think it’s as clear as many on this board believe it to be.

And for the vast majority of people drinking wines out there, I would think 10 years would be considered aged.

The oldest TN I saw listed in the article was 2003. I routinely drink domestic PN older than that and don’t even try to get them really aged. Off the top of my head I know I had W-S, Anderson Conn Valley & Flowers from the 90s in 2016. I had a 2002 Brogan Cellars too. 1983 Hanzell PN was terrific last summer as well.

The summation didactic seemed a bit harsh to me. Well made PN clearly ages. A Chalone from the late 70s was haunting a few years ago during a crazy late lunch/early dinner at Redd.

Before there is too much piling on I think it is worth noting that the very next article on the site is this one: Unprecedented Tasting of Well-Aged California Pinot Noirs: Blake Brown Reports

The dinner featured 12 Williams Selyem Pinot Noirs from 1987-1997, and 9 Pinot Noirs from 1954-1973 by Inglenook, BV, Charles Krug, Hanzell and Martini. The tasting notes to follow are by Blake Brown who kindly agreed to share his experience.

I think that this was particularly true of their wines from the mid 2000s. I drank several with about a decade of age on them and enjoyed them quite a bit. IIRC, they used much more new oak at this time because they didn’t want to buy used barrels.