TN: 2001 David Bruce Pinot Noir Central Coast (USA, California, Central Coast)

  • 2001 David Bruce Pinot Noir Central Coast - USA, California, Central Coast (6/4/2020)
    Opened for the FKAFKALBTG virtual tasting. Decanted about an hour in advance. Not a huge amount of sediment, but enough to justify a careful decant. An extra hour of air would have been worthwhile, because it continued the blossom over the next ninety minutes. I removed the cork with a Durand, but there was only a tiny bit of wine infusion at may be the bottom 1 mm of the cork, and the Durand may not have been necessary. The color was excellent with no sign of bricking at first, and only perhaps a tiny bit of brick color noticeable at the end.

I probably got this bottle about seventeen years ago and, although I don’t remember the price, it was worth of the wait. Smooth palate with a mixture of bright cherry and dark cherry and a bit of spice something in the range of allspice. There was some classic California Pinot Funk on the nose, but not on the palate. The only thing that seemed slightly out of balance was the ABV. The label said 13.9%, but I noticed it on the palate, which is why I checked the label in the first place. Considering that 16%+ ABV from California is not a problem for me, this was a bit of surprise, but not really a big negative. I honestly don’t think this wine was finished reaching its peak and I wish I had another one to wait two or three years.

The label does not specify the vineyard, but does comment on the cold climate resulting from the winds coming in from the Monterey trench. It definitely had, at least for me, some of the characteristics of a cold climate Pinot, including the Funkyness and the spice (and balanced acidity) that was not overwhelmed by the fruit. (91 pts.)

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