2017 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande Valley- USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley (2/16/2021)
These Estate wines(Chard too) from Talley are such goto wines…offering a pure and balanced expression of the Estate and appellation terroir…they remind me of what Rivers Marie does with their Sonoma Coast wines. This 2017 Pinot is bright and translucent with GORGEOUS wild red berry fruits…mainly tart raspberry, and exotic cherry…smooth and med bodied, yet full of flavor and feel…exotics of cherry wood smoke, sandalwood spice, sweet pipe tobacco, blood orange zest. Very tart with zippy acidity…pretty lilac and cherry blossom florals…some crunchy minerality showing vine struggle…just pure class and tastiness in this totally crushable beauty! My Pinot version of Turley Zins…“comfort food” wine! (93 pts.)
Not much Talley chatter on the board. I’ve been with them since 1987 and I don’t think the wines are as good as they were under Steve Rasmussen. The new winemaker is sort of a wise guy and inherited the job when the previous winemaker left to work for Bill Foley.
I still buy the chards but am down on the pinots. Had a 15 Rincon last weekend and it was meh.
I side with you on this particular wine. This is a good value Pinot with nice balance. I don’t have a ton of experience with Talley, but this is a solid wine.
Yeah, sorry about that debbie downer post above, Buzz - I was quite impressed with Talley on my last pre-Covid visit, particularly when I was able to try some wines with age on them. I truly enjoyed the 2012 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande Valley so maybe if you have another of the '17 you should let it sit a few years, give it a go!
Not trying to trash Talley…or Brian. As I said I’ve been with them since 87 and been to the winery many times. They would be about the last winery I would drop. It’s just that the winemaking isn’t as good as it was, and there has been a lot of turnover. The Rosemary’s is now $80 at the winery (K and L and Hi-Time have similar prices) so it had better be good. The entry level Estate is a nice enough wine. Right now my cellar holds most everything they made (chard and pinot) from 2014 to today.
I became a fan of the chards a few years ago and joined the club recently just to get them. I don’t like the pinots I’ve had but I’m particular about the flavor profile I like on pinot. The red fruit/cranberry/rhubarb part of the spectrum is my sweet spot and Talley’s struck me as darker than that. However, I’ve only tried a couple vintages. Based on Buzz’s TN, maybe I need more exposure.
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