Well, we were fortunate enough to taste a vertical of every Vintage of Kutch Falstaff last week and it was certainly a treat. All the bottles were in good shape and still evolving. Jamie and his assistant winemaker Joanna Wells were in attendance as we blind tasted through the entire Vertical of Falstaff pinots. Joanna warmed us up with a tasting of her Model Farm Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. This one was right up my ally. Lean, with lots of minerality and no overt oakiness. Made from own rooted chardonnay vines from a tiny vineyard deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Nice wine, wish there was more but it was long gone. Will be looking to acquire some of her future efforts with this grape.
This tasting was single-blind and lots of fun as always. After tasted and ranked I thought the results were rather surprising. I’ll skip typing for all 9 wines but wanted to highlight a standout. My #1 of the night and the groups #2 was the 2017.
This wine reminded me a bit of the 2017 Sonoma Coast bottling but was even better. It jumped out of the glass immediately with this intense Strawberry and Rhubarb notes. A hint carbonic and as one taster noted reminiscent of Beaujolais in a very good way. Intense fruit on the palate with great acidity and moderate tannins. The whole cluster seemed less obvious on this wine than some of the others. The finish is long and plush. I could smell this wine all day. Not the savory notes of some of the other vintages but totally captivating. Surprising to me this was the top wine for many amongst a very strong lineup. If you’re a Kutch fan and haven’t bought this one yet I recommend stocking up. It’s a notch or two above the Sonoma Coast bottling which shares many of these wines great characteristics. Might be my favorite Kutch Pinot yet. Overall a beautiful AFWE Pinot Noir.
It was awesome to taste through these with Jamie and Joanna. Interesting fact, Joanna was nailing the vintages more than Jamie and was an encyclopedia about the different vintages. Bravo Joanna! Jamie’s memory might be slipping in his old age
Allen Meadows gushed about Jamie’s 2017s in his newest report. I bet this was excellent! I like Falstaff but LOVE McDougall. Congrats Jamie. Thanks for this note.
Cuz, can’t find my tote bag which has my detailed tasting notes and rankings. Looked all over last night and its buried in clutter somewhere around here and when I find it I will add impressions of the other wines…
Joanna and Sean make a terrific Chard, I have had it several times and it’s in the style I seek today. As for the 17 'Staff, I need to try another one. I am going to put that wine to the test, as I want to stand up my high praise for it. My most recent 2 TNs are below.
Sean, thanks for the post, appreciate the insight.
2017 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (2/18/2019)
Damn. Jamie really hit the home run with this vintage of 'Staff. Each time I have it I find myself pausing and just appreciating what a genius of a wine this turned out to be. This bottle showed a lift of stems and perfume from the cluster that I didn’t remember from the last few bottles, which is fine because it adds that extra factor to what is already a dynamic wine. Tasting this, at one moment it is crunchy and then the next a pure push of black and red fruit that follows into a long finish that also offers structure, too. The length, purity and complexity of this vintage of 'Staff is simply gorgeous. For me, clearly the best wine Jamie Kutch has ever made. No question, and one of the best CA pinot noirs I have tasted. Bravo.
2017 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/4/2018) Kutch and Model Farm dinner at my place in the OC (My House In The South OC): Poured in the same flight as the 2013 and 2015 McDougall, this Falstaff was the finishing wine of that flight. This is right now about strength, intensity, with tannin, juicy dark raspberry fruit and present acidity. Stacked with black and red fruits, and credit to Chris Fitch who was next to me, that termed this core quality as ‘pomegranate’. Spot on descriptor. It’s the closing feature of the finish, adding a spicy, pure dark quality to the wine. Excellent Falstaff, one that will age and develop as it integrates its power…as a follow-up note, I am still enjoying the remnants of the wine a day later, this is such a pure, delicious bottle of PN, with some rocky notes, purple and red fruit and flavor composite that is just a joy. For me, gotta be the best Falstaff to date, for sure. Bravo…and what the hell, one more follow-up. The bottle has now been open 2 full days and it continues to drink like it did during the dinner. This wine is yoked with so much power–the structure, fruit intensity and depth. The thrill this kind of wine engenders is pretty cool for me. The key now will be to see where this wine heads, with more age, more time to show itself. I’m in for the ride!
There is a reason why this wine was my red wine of the year in 2018. The wine is fantastic. Jamie hit the home run with this vintage of Falstaff, and I have been drinking Jamie’s wines for a long time now, and this is clearly for me the best wine he has ever crafted. Beauty in a bottle. Jamie, THANK YOU!
2017 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (6/24/2019)
Poured blind, as part of a 6 wine CA Pinot Noir flight. I had no idea this wine was in the flight, so there’s zero bias in my TN here. I say that because this wine has been over and over again I believe the best wine Jamie Kutch has made to date. So, here’s the odd thing. When I first poured this, I wrote down “some pepper, tight and out of balance with a juicy, stewed/candied quality”. I judged the wine based on what I found in my glass. 45 mins later, tasted again…transformed. And of note, when I noticed the wine had evolved and changed so significantly, it was still bagged. Ultimately, this became the beautiful blend of red and blue fruit, rocky and expressive, nothing like the first pour. Damn, this wine is such a treat. Fantastic stuff again…managed to take the remnants of the bottle home, which gave me one glass for tonight. Damn, this is dialed in. The texture on this is magic, showing a plush, deep flavor of blueberry, raspberry and a nice inflection from the stems which also helps the aromatics. Juicy, stony, with tension in the finish. The finish has a length and intensity that is beautiful. I’ll say it again, this is the best wine Jamie Kutch has made to date, and I got 4 bottles of this stuff in my cellar ready to bring me smiles and joy for the next many years. Genius CA Pinot Noir.
This thread really makes me happy! Jamie is a class individual and makes absolutely amazing wine IMO. Each time I open one of his wines, I drop him a quick email and he always responds with appreciation.
Here is a refresh on the '17 Staff. The wine is outstanding, and still remains for me a great example of what CA PN can do and be.
2017 Kutch Pinot Noir Falstaff Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (7/16/2020)
This will be bottle #8 that I have tasted since release. I opened the bottle yesterday, did a glass and then tossed it back in the fridge with the cork in place. This vintage of Falstaff continues to strongly impress me. As a reminder, 12.5% ABV and I believe neutral oak and pretty much a whole cluster approach. There is so much going on in this wine, it’s a study in trying to put something coherent together. Pepper and florals in the aromatic. the whole cluster signature doing its thing. And much like the previous bottles, when the wine is cooler, there is the crunchy, cranberry note that cuts right through it. As it warms, the savory note starts to flow through it, alongside a boysen fruit quality, like a blue and purple fruit just mixing nicely together. And like past bottles, the plushness emerges when the wine has time to warm up, creating what I sometimes refer to as a ‘saturating’ quality, which is something I get in Rivers-Marie PNs. As the wine finishes, that cranberry note still persists to give the finish a really good lift, and it frames the wine providing energy and structure. Even after warming up, the mineral tone, maybe more of a flinty texture carries the finish. I tell you what, I’m gonna keep standing by my blast that this is one of the best Kutch Pinot Noirs that Jamie has made. I know Jamie geeks for his 2013 McDougall, and I tasted that wine in 2019 again, and it’s damn good, but there is just something about this Falstaff that makes me pause. This is still a wine that is gonna improve and evolve, and with 3 more bottles, I’ll enjoy every damn one of them one over the next several years.
Tom, I did another glass last night, and as the wine warmed up to room temp (about 70), it was just beautiful. The last ounce in the glass had a composition of fruit, acid and structure that was really stunning to me. I have a large glass left for tonight and I plan to sit out in the backyard and savor it. The 17 'Staff shows how for me how truly great Pinot Noir can be made in California.
As a challenge out to whomever wants to take it on, if you have a bottle of this stuff, open it and post a comment. I don’t have all the answers or own the truth on wines but when I find something like this kind of wine in my glass, I simply want to see what others think of it.
Love Falstaff. Managed to lay off the last few vintages distracted by a healthy supply of well-aged bottles I’ve been picking off. I can see enjoying the 17 soon and appreciate the notes from all.
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