2011 Shitty CA Pinot Noir Thread

WINE TALK
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In our area (Sonoma County) 2011 offered two vintages in one year. It was a nice, cool growing season with gentle weather prior to Sept. 30 when a week of rainy weather arrived.

Pre-Rain fruit gave awesome structure, texture and longevity. Post-Rain pushed many choices on harvest date if the vineyard succumbed to Botrytis. It was all a matter of timing and how the vineyard was set up thru earlier choices as well as localized fog persistence thru the summer. I experienced both kinds of vintage that year and would take another one in a heartbeat except that many growers lost a lot of income. It was an opportunity for significant adaptation in certain cases.

Despite the soundness of the wines not challenged by rain, the vintage was difficult to market due to the vintage reputation. I’m glad to hear people sharing their positive experiences with wines from 2011.

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102

I’ve loved just about all of the Williams Selyem pinots from this vintage (drank about 15 or so). In fact, I’ve bought another mixed case on auction!

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Anybody have 2011 CA Pinot left in the cellar?

We’re at the 10 year mark… Time to complain about the vintages lack of age worthiness!

I only have one bottle, a copain en bas Pinot noir but it’s a 3L.

I think I’ll open it for my birthday next month. I need to find some friends first. LOL

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Brig, apparently I have but one '11 remaining - a Littorai “The Haven.” I have a few 09-10.

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I got a local offer for Roar 2011’s in half bottles, Roar had gotten a little over the top for me so I thought maybe in a year like 2011 they would be ok so I picked up a case of 24 for $5.00 per-they’ve been very enjoyable I think I still have 6 or 7.

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A couple of Dehlingers are about to fulfill their final destiny.

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14 bottles of assorted Rivers-Marie!

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2011 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir Spanish Springs - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (6/26/2015)
This wine continues to evolve and is amazing. Under $20. Fragrant with cherries, violets, spice and earth. Medium plus finish and elegant. Should evolve over the next five years. (92 points)

$20.00!

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I’m here for you, Brig [cheers.gif]

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I have had 3 of Drew Morning Dew Ranch 2011 and two Valenti 2011 over the last couple years. They were both really concentrated and weightless. At or near the top of all pinots drunk in 2019 and 2020… and far less $ than many!

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I have two Windy Oaks Proprietor’s Reserve left, will check in on one soon.

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35 bottles, 19 wines. Various from Harrington/Terrane, Fogarty, Rhys, McHenry, August West, Sandler, Roar, Cellars 33, Arnot-Roberts, Woodside. Come on over!

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I’ve had this wine a couple of times in recent months. Nice wine, still in good shape, although I don’t think it’s developed much beyond the first few years. Never tasted from magnum let alone a 3L.

-Al

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Many will turn up their noses, but the 2011 Meomi was really quite good - far less extracted than in subsequent years.

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I recently had a bottle of 2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Ridgetop Vineyard and thought it was very good, especially for the $25 I paid for it.

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Ridgetop was always my favorite of the lineup. last vintages I tasted were '09 and '10. I probably would have loved '11 and for $25, that’s a steal!

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Bring it to Falltacular please . . .

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2012 Sojourn Rodgers Creek last night. Drinking well but time to drink em if you got em I think.

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Thought 10 years could be a good time to check in and add to this thread.

Selected 8 bottles to represent top producers and regions. Primarily;y just missing Santa Barbara.

All wines are aging well. If anything they show quite young for 10 year old Cali Pinots. Not a lot of secondary characteristics across the lot.

Definitely some clear vintage characteristics showing through. Lean to mid-weight, more red fruit than usual. Tart, crunch fruit, high acid.

I thought the Copain Kisers were a bit disappointing, I think a combination of Wells Guthrie’s hard pivot to leaner style plus the lean vintage resulted in rather emaciated wine in this vintage. All the other producers did well, although I think, at least on this showing, a bit below the better vintages.

Fairly exotic nose for a pinot… olive, cured meat, pepper (almost like a lean northern rhone).

Lovely balance on the palate. Red cherries and raspberries, citrus peel, wet rock, finishes with some chili pepper. Lovely acidity and the fruit is ripe but not at all cloying.

A complex an interesting expression of California Pinot Noir. (94 pts.)

Very open knit nose of baking spice, dusty earth, dried Italian herbs, kola nut, black cherry.

Full and rounded palate of ripe red cherries, cola, and orange peel. This particular bottling seems to enjoy the acid balance of the vintage. Very fine and quite delightful. (94 pts.)

Quite a young nose of orange peel, red cherries,

Mid-weight palate of cool climate in season red cherries and vosne spice. Very long. Not a lot of tannin, but good balance suggests it will hold for a while yet. (93 pts.)

High toned nose of fresh raspberries, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Quite a vosne like palate, round, ripe red fruits, spice, peacock’s tail finish.

A nice and quite complete wine, if still somewhat on the lean and acidic side. (93 pts.)

Powerful nose of chinato, cherries, and a hint of vanilla.

Sweet red fruited palate. Red licorice, limoncello, with nice acid bite. more fruit driven than the wines to date, but good balance thanks to the bright acid. (92 pts.)

Quite a stemmy nose? a little bit green. Black cherries, bacon fat.

Stern and strong on the palate. Tart black cherries with a touch of spice. Some fine tannins. Perhaps the most backwards of these wines, but a little difficult to tell were it goes. 91+ (91 pts.)

Warm aromatic nose of cherry, cinnamon, and paraffin.

Tart red and black fruits on the palate. Sour cherries, salinity and citrus.

Just a perhaps more round and complete on the palate than the En Haut of the same year. (90 pts.)

Quite savory on the nose, sous bois, morel, black cherries.

Tart and crunchy red fruits on the palate. Tangy and on the lean side with red apple skin and some ruby red grapefruit.

Nice, lovely nose, if a little lean and simple one the palate. (89 pts.)

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Thanks for the notes, 11 Horseshoe likely to go down on NYE.