Informally, I’ve declared this the year of the Swan. These wines have been incredibly special to me since I tasted my first – the 1997 Pinot Noir Pentagon Reserve from the original parcel of the Estate Vineyard – in July 2001. And they just keep getting better and better. There are dramatic differences among all these wines, but you can feel that special guiding hand Rod uses with these wines, from vineyard to cellar. The style is unmistakable and, for my taste, perfection.
Sadly, no note on a beautiful bottle of 1975 Zinfandel … the fill and color were perfect. But it was corked. Oh well, on to the next bottle!
1990 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Russian River Valley- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/11/2018)
A stunner. Cloudy red cherry color. Phenomenal bouquet of unmistakable red and black cherry dusted in vivacious minerality that is just a hallmark of Swan’s Estate Vineyard. Age has taken this wine fully into the panoply of secondary characteristics you expect from this site – mushrooms, dried flowers, and a more refined nature to the baking spice. There’s still a modest amount of acidity hanging around, which helps refocus you to the sublime finish, which just carries on. This is a fantastic example of just how beautifully these wines age. A
1992 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Frati Ranch- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/11/2018)
A good showing here. Medium red color with a bricked rim at the edge of the glass. Initially, the nose showed quite a bit of soy and volatile acidity. It gave me less than ideal hope for the palate … but what an inversion once you got this wine in your mouth. Exploded with brambly black fruit and rich earth notes. Fully mature. The palate started to lose its edge after about 45 minutes or so. Still, a nice glimpse at what this wine turned into. B+
1996 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Frati Ranch- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/11/2018)
Gorgeously alive. Bright cherry color. Vibrant, brambly black fruit, minerals, and a fantastic, explosive palate presence. This is a complete, beautiful wine that has aged perfectly. Totally stunning. A
2011 Joseph Swan Vineyards Chardonnay Trenton Estate- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/11/2018)
13.0% alcohol. Hitting a fantastic stage now. Medium yellow color. The nose is seductive, with plenty of green apple and pear notes. There’s a touch of spice and good minerality. In the mouth, it’s focused, pure, and utterly delightful. Plenty of acidity, it delivers restrained power. Great stuff with several years of upside left. A
2014 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Solas Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/11/2018)
This is my new favorite vineyard. Very light cherry color, clear at the rim of the glass. Phenomenal, youthful nose of red cherry. Just perfect, seductive red cherry. In the mouth, dazzles with that cherry fruit and high acidity. It’s delightful and gains complexity from some cherry stone notes and earth buried in the background. This will get incredibly pretty in a few years. A joy already, though. A-/A
I’m a big fan, to be sure. I’m about out of my bottles with age, so it might be time to buy more and put them away for a while. Only one bottle remains - 2008 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Trenton Estate - probably singing right about now…
in a funny way, i recently “declared” 2018 the year of swan, more in that i am not going to buy any other california wine this year than swan (ok, maybe carlise zins).
Haven’t had a chance to try sola’s vineyard pinot yet, but based on your review, I will likely order a few as part of my spring order.
Just to be pedantic, the plural of Swan is a Bevy or Wedge in Flight
More seriously, Swans from the seventies are brilliant, and seem to be ageless. Recent bottles a 1976 and 1972 Zinfandel ( the latter from magnum) and a 1974 Pinot were extraordinary. The 1972 was served at a press BYO and s was certainly the wine of the lunch.
Those 70s wines are just gorgeous. I’ve been really lucky to try a lot of them, and the freshness in the style that still shines through just defies logic to me.
Aside from the fact that a 2002 Trenton Estate Pinot at age 12 still ranks with the very best CA pinots I’ve ever had, I don’t have much Swan experience to share…love reading posts like this, though.
Thanks for the review of JS wines. We still have a stock of them from the 80’s through early 2000’s. They hold up amazingly well and continue to be tasty wines always a hit when they are brought out. Haven’t bought any in a while though. Must mean I need to buy some more.
The 2002 Estate is still one of the benchmarks for me of the last 20 years. It’s so damn good. Plan on pulling out my last bottle of it this summer for my 40th, as part of a Swan Estate vertical.