Last night I had the sole allocated bottle of 2007 Native9 pinot. I don’t remember why, but the total production for the wine was 23 cases, and those on the mailing list were offered one bottle. I don’t have that much experience with the wines that James Ontiveros makes in Santa Maria/Santa Barbara, but my guess was that it would age pretty well, and I was right.
This was a beautiful rich ruby red with a big nose of cherry and earthy forest floor right out of the bottle. It was silky smooth with a shimmering vibrancy that let the flavors play out in a compelling fashion. The cherry flavor was supported by enough acid so that it leaned toward cranberry. The forest floor turned earthier over the 90 minutes it was open.
Quite a strong showing and it will lead me to reinvestigate Native9. 93+