Just got an offer 4 several pinots from Torrin Winery. Anybody taste these yet? Are they high alcohol, low-alcohol, restrained or exuberant versions. No specs on the wine that would give a clue like Etoh or total acidity and pH. Just debating if it is worth a flyer for about $70 per. Any of you guys out there barrel sample these? Thanks!
Sorry for not really being helpful but I would be surprised and also disappointed if a wine with that name had either too much or too little of anything.
Clever answer. Vineyard sources include Bien Nacido. Suppose I can draw some conclusions from this but I am hoping to avoid a too fruit forward Cali Pinot in the mold of Sea Smoke. I had hopes for restrained production values with that winery and became disillusioned pretty quickly. Craving the acid and more wines like Rhys to come from the coastal sites
It’s tough to jump to conclusions based on site alone. Bien Nacido is a huge site with plenty of different blocks and clones - and it’s a site where I’ve seen pinots produced from 12% to nearing 17% alcohol . . .
Thanks Larry, not jumping to conclusions, just hoping to see if anyone outside the winery has an opinion on the wines. I really like the syrah based wines they produce…
I actually tasted through them with Scott and Viquel on Wednesday. My impressions were that they were more along the food-friendly acidity-driven line than the fruit bombs. I generally prefer lighter styles and steer clear of California if other regions are available and I’m unfamiliar of producers on a list. This is a style I would drink. Scott did a lot of talking about the acidity of the wines and was going for that style.
I thought all three pintos were good. The clonal selection (115 from 3 sites) was a little closed. It had more red fruits on the nose, a lot of earthy elements, and a nice lift. All fairly elegant for California. The Duvarita vineyard has very sandy soils and cooler temps and it tasted that way. Sour cherries, earth and dried leaves. My favorite was the Bien Nacido. Violets, red cherry, earth, wilted leaves, and a hint of sun dried tomato (in a good way- not stewed tomatoes). Also fairly high acid and the longest finish. I believe he said that it was all Dijon clone from the hillside block.
Hope that helps. It’s certainly a departure from Paso “Rhones”, and I think he did a very nice job with them.